The Dragon's Rose
by s2Teennovelist
Summary: Headstrong, fiery and sharp-tounged, Yami swore he would do anything to protect his beloved brothers Atem and Yugi, even sacrifice his freedom to the vicious Dragon King Seto. He Kept his word. Prideshipping, loosely based on Beauty and the Beast, Lemons
1. Prologue: The Dragon King's Key

WAHOO!!!! I FINALLY GOT DRAGON ROSE UP!

This is the result of listening to and watching a prideshipping music video to the Song Breath by breaking Benjamin non-stop for a week; seriously that's what I did. This idea for this story actually just came to me all at once while i was trying to watch Yugioh 5Ds in my dorm room, back when my laptop was busted, I literally wrote the entire scene (which will appear later) in my head until i was like, what am i doing, rushed to the comp lap and typed all day until it was done. Thus this story began!

As i said before, this is loosely based off Beauty and the Beast with a Lot of twists, and rewrites from my own creative mind. And if you've read my profile and read how i feel about characterization and such, then you know I WILL keep both Yami and Seto in character (i HATE it when Prideshipping fics make Yami submissive and Kaiba TOO nice, its so unrealistic) so they'd both be in character, Kaiba will still be an arrogant ass, with a heart of gold, and Yami will still be his complex, confident and fiery tempered self.

**WARNING: **(Grabs a microphone so everyone can hear me.) **THIS STORY IS PRIDESHIPPING, Yoai, AND CONTAINS A LEMON LATER IN THE STORY! Now i know some puzzleshipping fans don't like prideshipping and I completely understand, but I LOVE Puzzleshipping but i also love Prideshipping, so if you don't like prideshipping or have any problems with Yaoi or Lemons, GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE, because I got nothing against it and I will NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCEWS TOLERATE FLAMERS OR ANY NASTY COMMENTS.**

**This story also contains GX characters, but only a small handful, like five at the most, and they're only secondary characters, so if you don't lik GX, don't worry.**

Summary: Ever since his parents died, leaving the three of them orphans at the tender age of adolescence, Yami promised himself he would do _anything_ to protect his older brother Atem, and his beloved baby brother Yugi… Even if it meant sacrificing his life, his freedom and his dreams of escaping their pedestrian rural life and the unwanted lust of the Duchess, to save them from life imprisonment at the hands of the vicious dragon king of his favorite fairy tale, Seto Kaiba. He kept his promise.

Disclaimer:

Beauty and the Beast is a French Fairy tale, by an unknown author and Yu-Gi-Oh, Yu-Gi-Oh GX and its characters (with the exception of Rebbeca, Leon, etc who were created by 4KIDS) belong to Kazuki Takahashi,

The plotline, idea for the prologue and all original ideas in this not found in either of the mentioned above, including Ida and Alastair belong to me, meaning NO STEALING!

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Prologue: The Dragon King's Key

It was many a year ago, at least by mortal reckoning, and proud and magnificent family ruled the lands from a magnificent Gothic manor of marble and stone. They were both fierce and protective, but kind and loyal and fair. They were called the Kaiba family. Kaiba meant "fang" and it suited them. Their reign was golden and the people were eternally grateful to them for overthrowing the previous rulers of the Manor. The previous family consisted of cruel, vain and arrogant nobles who usurped the throne when the previous owner died heirless before he could appoint a successor to his mansion and those who lived in the villages. But the worst of the family, whose name the people choose forget, was the eldest son. A vain and selfish man who cared only for his own glory and wealth, even his own younger brother, he treated like dirt. He was the pride and glory of his parents. Groomed and raised to be dictator of the realm, carrying with him all the worst traits of his parents.

However, with the rest of the people behind them, the vicious dictatorship was defeated and over thrown by the Kaibas. With the support and respect of the people, Kaiba, a noble under the former king and his wife, Ida planned a rebellion against the usurpers to free the people. But one of the Prince's slaves found out and told the prince, hoping to obtain a higher position. The Prince, in fury planned to execute the traitors, but before the act could be carried out he was foiled by the only pure member of his atrocious family: the youngest prince.

The youngest prince was a gentle and carrying soul and for that reason, his parents shunned and abandoned him in favor of their elder child. Every since he was a child and his family stole the throne, he knew they didn't deserve, he'd look out the window of his home and wish so much to make a better place, for he was the only one who knew the difference between right and wrong. When he overheard his brother's vile plan, he swallowed his own fear and fled the castle to warn the Kaibas. With the younger prince's help, the rebellion infiltrated the castle in the dead of night and took the manor, but the ruler, even though they knew they were defeated refused to be vanished and instead of paying for their misdeeds, they flung themselves out the window to their deaths. But the Eldest Prince refused to become a forsaken martyr. Instead he was exiled to the mountains and his family name banished from the realm, as a reminder of those dark times where the people lived in terror of their government. Even the youngest prince refused to acknowledge his own surname. As a reward for his help, the younger prince was adopted into the Kaiba family.

The townspeople and the country flourished under the peaceful and prosperous reign of the Kaibas and their two sons, their nephew and their adopted son. Though the King, known throughout the lands as Alastair, though stubborn with his eccentric and unorthodox manners of ruling, he was an exceptionally good King. His wife, Ida was his equal, an eccentric huntress who's wild spirit and golden heart could not be tamed. Both loved their people and made the fact known both within and outside the walls of the manor. Many of the castle's servants were wards of the king and queen who were given jobs and treated as if they were their own. But the most loved of all the Kaibas was the oldest son, their Prince Seto. He was truly a handsome man both external and within: a proud and stubborn man but with a will as strong as a dragon and a heart brighter than gold and eyes as beautiful and blue as the endless sky. Thought it was uncommon the royals spent as much time among their citizens as they could. Even their adopted son was loved among them. Among his people he was kind and fair, and among the servants each one was like a younger sibling to him, but when the people were in danger he defended them with the ferocity and power of a dragon, which earned him the nickname: the Dragon Prince. Yes, the people loved their rulers, and their rulers loved their people, but the dark destiny of all kingdoms would soon doom this peaceful paradise.

Deep in the mountains, the exiled son swore vengeance upon the Kaiba's for their betrayal and stealing his family's crown. Yet above all he despised the Prince Seto. The reasons that most people believed he hated the fair prince was because he was jealous of the Prince and accused him of stealing the throne that should be his. However, that was only a small part of the answer, a much lighter side. In truth he envied the fair prince with all his soul. He hated how the people loved and respected him, how even his own little brother idolized the Dragon Prince instead of him. He hated how the Prince Seto, commanded the love, respect and attention of everyone who laid eyes on him without even trying while he himself had had to work and demand it because their love because they hated him so. He hated how while he had had to rule through fear and command, the people simply gave the Dragon Prince their love on a silver platter and yet despite that, the prince did _nothing_ with it. Even if his parents were the true rulers, the exiled heir knew, without a shadow of a doubt, it was the Dragon Prince who ruled the endless kingdom the Gothic Manor controlled. He vowed one day to return and rip everything the Prince loved and treasured so deeply away in the most malicious and unforgiving manner. Banished to the shadows and forced to live a solitary existence of seclusion, his bitterness festered until it consumed his soul.

Finally, after years of dabbling in the dark arts, his bitterness, jealously and rage transformed him into a sorcerer of terrible power. His dark heart all but consumed him. Until one dark day, after all but signing away his soul to the darkness, he unlocked the dark, unforgiving arts of the shadow realm. Darkness consumed him, making him a prisoner of his own power and allowing him the ability to control the very forces of purgatory and eternal suffering. Only one thing burned within his poisoned mind now: his lust for vengeance.

It was on a day that should've been a day of great celebration, the eldest Prince's coronation on his 21st birthday, the day he became a man and the day he would be no longer known as the Dragon Prince, but the Dragon King. It was on this very day, that everything changed. The sorcerer wearing a mask of glamour to hide his pale red hair and the wickedness in his eyes, with an appearance more commonly seen among the realm of mortals and attended the new king's majesty—with a terrible plan to make the new king and his family suffer for their crimes against his person, even his own sibling would not be left unscarred for his treachery.

Only after all had presented their gifts and their best wishes and promises to their beloved Prince and soon-to-be king, the former monarch arose from his throne holding in his hands a magnificently sculpted grown in the shape of a majestic white dragon, with eyes of sapphire and powerful wings. Just as the former king was about to crown his son, did the Sorcerer step forward and speak his impossible demands: he commanded that Seto relinquish his crown and his throne to its _true_ owner or great doom would befall them all. He cast aside his glamour as he spoke, igniting a scream of terror from his former sibling, who was the first to recognize the last member of his murderous family, and gasps of shock and fear from the townspeople who he had terrorized.

Naturally the bold prince refused, claiming nothing would convince to relinquish his throne and the lives of his people and loved ones to a madman who knew nothing but tyranny: he did not fear death or enchantment. The sorcerer's eyes narrowed at the defiant family of royals before a smile struck his face; a smile that sent a shiver of fear, chilling everyone in the room to the bone. Many of the elder members trembled in memory. Even as the royal guards attacked with arrows and blades, and the people rushed to defend their rulers, his hood and hair shaded his wicked eyes as a shadow of black and magenta energy flooded his body, like whispery ghosts. Finally, the sorcerer unleashes a deadly wave of black and magenta energy, consuming the entire throne room, but the servants and those loyal to their monarch refused to leave, and screams in anguish and fear as their very essences warped to that of the dark master's sick desires.

He spoke in a fantastical tone as a deadly wave of energy like a ring of black and crystal fire ensnared the royals and all except for Seto vanished before the young king's horrified eyes. But the Sorcerer refused to reveal to the devastated king what had become of his parents and his brothers. He then used the magic of the shadow realm and placed a terrible curse upon the manor and a deadly spell upon the kingdom and all who lived there. Proclaiming doom on the royal family and all who serve them friends and servants alike, the servants and wards of the castle for their loyalty were stripped of their physical forms and given new ones, ones of creatures from the parallel realm of fantasy, only able to return to their true forms in that of a spirit. But for the prince himself, the Sorcerer wanted him to suffer the most, he wanted to see him wither away and die, suffer alone in solitude and anguish just as he had suffered, before extracting the final act of his vengeance. So he cursed him with the most terrible form of all: the form of the most magnificent and dangerous creature of myth and legend once beloved by the royal family and the kingdom would now be used to doom the new King: the form the Blue Eyes White Dragon. But his form was cursed to be neither monster nor human, but something awful in between. Trapped a prisoner within his own body, with only his most loyal of followers in forms no human would dare trust, he was kept.

To entertain himself, the Sorcerer gave the prince and ultimatum: the prince would have 100 mortal years to find his one true key and break the curse, a key that could accept the King for the monster he was, or his soul and the souls of all those he held dear would never know peace and would instead be trapped within the dark depths of the shadow realm for all eternity. With a maniacal laughter and a haunting scream he vanished, claiming to return once his time had come…leaving behind a confused and terrified crowd who could no longer feel anything.

The prince let out a shallow breath as he collapsed to his knees before he screamed in horror at the body that was no longer his. Instead of hands, silver claws replaced his fingers and ice-blue scaled paws were his hands. Scale and white talons adorned his arms. At his feet were the back legs and claws of a dragon. Confused and scared he turned to his servants, each held a sad expression on their faces, which no longer held their light hues; their jeweled eyes had lost their color. And when a mirror was raised to the prince's face, he screamed. Blue scales adorned his body, his torso and chest, a powerful, whip-like tail sprouted from behind him; fin-like appendages grew from his shoulders. From beneath his back shoulder blades two enormous wings, large enough to consume his body sprouted from his back, glittering with blood as they ripped from his skin: beautiful yet gruesome. Most terrifying of all: his eyes. No longer were they the brilliant cerulean he'd grown up with, nor were they human. Instead, he saw the ice-blue eyes and slit-like pupils of a dragon staring back at him, with a mixture of horror and fear. It was just as the sorcerer cursed him—he was neither dragon nor man but something terrible in between. His servants and friends urged him not to lose hope, that they would find his key, whatever it may be (though only the King knew that well kept secret), and rescue his parents and the younger princes from where ever the evil Sorcerer sent them. But it wasn't long before hope began to fade…

As the years past, he fell into despair; though his followers and the people who he worked so hard to protect refused to leave him or abandon the manor, the rest for the world forgot as the long years of the century rolled by. Along in the castle, the former King's golden heir began to chill, and stiffen, angered and bitter towards the world that shunned him so cruelly as a monster. As hope became an illusion scorned by the prince, his lonely heart grew cold and desolate, but his servants never lost hope and prayed and prayed to the God of light for aid, to save their master from the malicious fate cursed upon him and to help him find his key. For only the Prince knew about the key, and he only told a selected two and they swore even to their most trusted friends and family to take the secret to their grave. So the servants didn't ask. They just trusted their Master to find his key, knowing whomever it maybe would have to be a special soul to earn the heart and rescue the soul of their master. Though the secret was safe, it didn't take the servants long to fit the pieces into place and realize what the key must be:

The Dragon King's one true love.

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I did say twist didn't I? Can I call it or What. Anyway, the second i started this story i wanted a curse rather than Seto being turned into a monster because he was a selfish bastard. I did a lot of work on the back story for this, the kingdom, setting up with the evil former family, the sorcerer etc. etc. That is because I don't believe people are pure evil or pure good (though there are always exceptions to that rule) so I really wanted the bad guy in this to hate hate HATE seto, and give him a reason.

I researched the japanes word Kaiba, both to prove it DOES NOT mean sea horse, and to give it something to relate it to dragons. So imagine my happiness when i found Kaiba was spelled similarly and deprived from the Japanese word "Kiba" which means Fang. Thus the name was born!

I had to make up Kaiba's parents in this, for obvious reasons, Ida is the same character in my story Let Me Be Your Wings, and the same woman from Seth's flashback in the Egyptian arc of his mom: black hair, blue eyes, pale skin. Alastair I made up. I figured since Seto and Mokuba were brothers, and his mother had black hair like Mokei and blue eyes like his, than their dad must've been a brunet like Seto and have gray eyes like Mokuba.

Kaiba's Dragon form was inspired by a picture by one f my favorite Artists Sliphertheskydragon's AWESOME picture of Dragon Kaiba, the link to it is in my Favorites on my Deviantart account.

Other than that as always read, review, critique, etc. etc. I love comments, feedback, and long reviews. Also, you'll NEVER guess who the bad guy is, or who I made Guesdon in this. XD


	2. Chapter 1: The Dreamer's Curse

Well, I got the first chapter up! I already had this one written so I figured I post it since a lot of people seem to like it. I'm hoping this eventually becomes just as popular as Let Me Be Your Wings.

I was so glad everyone like the prologue. Two things I wanna clear up

1. I like Kaiba, a lot, and I love his character and how he goes form being cold-hearted evil, (like really evil in the manga aka season 0) and how his character changed and evolve through the course of the series and I HATED how the 4kids anime chopped up the character development Kaiba got in the manga (they did he same thing with Duke Devlin too, which also infuriated me). Personally, i like Kaiba and sure yeah he started off evil but Yami destroyed the darkness in him and his soul was able to put itself back together and slightly restore him to the way he as before those six years of tramua and hell he suffered from Gozoboro--who we can all agree is as evil as you can go. But despite all that, Kaiba's like Yami, he's complex: he's collected and controlled but never afriad to put himself on the line or take action when it affects someone he cares about, and he knows what he wants, does whatever he can and whatever it takes to obtain it, mostly to prove to himself that he can (the main theme in the manga since, in the manga he was determined to defeat Yami, not because of an obsession like in the anime--damn you 4kids--but to escape the shadow of Gozoboro. Like I said 4Kids really screwed it up). So anyway, expect Kaiba to still be his arrogant, confident, and jackass self, but he'll still have that good heart about him too.

2. I'm a nut about characterization so ecpect both Kaiba and Yami to be in character in this. NOTHING, i repeate NOTHING annoys me more when Yami is submissive and broken (which he' not) in prideshipping fics and Kaiba is WAY too nice to be Kaiba. Granted i won't lie, i love those fics, they're completely unrealistic to me. With that said, expect both Seto and Yami to be in character as much as possible in this and to butt heads even when/if they start getting along. Honestly, that's why i like prideshipping, I like seeing Yami and Kaiba butt heads, cuz let's face it Yami is the only one confident and headstrong enough to meet Kaiba's stubborn pride blow for blow.

Now that that's out of the way here's Chap 1 of The Dragon's Rose. ENJOY! and as always read, review, critique, ask questions and whatever else you like.

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Chapter 1: The Dreamer's Curse

"Blast!" Yami retorted, as he once again reached the last page of the leather bound novel he'd been reading, as he turned the last crisp leaf page only to find the last page, telling what the dragon king's key was, so yellow with age and stained, it was beyond readability. No matter how many times he read his favorite of stories: _The Dragon King_, it frustrated him to no end the ending remained a well kept secret. With expert care, he closed the antique book extra careful with the antiquarian treasure. Gold claps and hinders lined the corner so the leather would not wear out to quickly. Jewels were embedded into the twists of each corner, while a gold clasp with a leather strap kept the book locked when it wasn't being read. Gold patterns adorned the exquisite cover while faintly glowing letters spell out the title. The spine was equally studded with gold corners binging it together and studded with dully glowing jewels and alive with gold script. The pages were aged and yellowed, but worn in a way that made it clear the book was not only well-used but loved.

Running a hand through his stray golden bangs, he gently place the book back in his bag, he hung on the branch of the tree and interlaced his hand behind his head before leaning back against the trunk of the tree, he currently occupied, in a laid back manner before gazing at the cerulean sky above him. Seventeen-year-old Yami Muto closed his eyes with a content sigh, before happily trying to drift off to sleep and escape the shackles of life outside the wide acres of land, forest and such, surrounding the small home he occupied with his beloved brothers. If only to escape for a moment.

"YAMI!"

"AHH!" The sudden noise bolted Yami from his serenity, and forgetting where he was maneuvered to see what it was, only to stumble and crash through a mass of weaker, leaf covered branches barely breaking his fall as he crashed the ground with a loud thud! Yami moaned in pain, his back screamed as he tried to push himself into a sitting position. He winced when he tried to move. The sound of giggling from above forced his eyed open, and he came face to face with the adorable face and sweet, innocent smile of his younger brother.

"Good Morning." Thirteen-year-old Yugi Muto smiled down at his older brother with a wide, bright smile and innocent eyes cutely shut. Sleep Well?"

"I did," Yami smirked with a tone of mock anger "Until a certain someone conspired to kill me by knocking me out of a tree." He said with a mock glare, but his brother simply burst into laugher, before taking a step back. Recognizing the game, Yami smirked and took a step forward. Yugi took another step back, but Yami was quick to follow him until finally Yugi turned and sprinted; the chase began.

Letting him have his fun Yami let Yugi win for a moment before releasing a sudden burst of speed and tackling his sibling to the ground. The two rolled around for a few minutes before finally collapsing in a field of dandelions in a heap of laughter. "You've been a very naughty boy, Yugi." Yami mocked scolded, waving his finger in front of Yugi's face as if punishing a small child. Yugi pouted, succeeding only in making himself look cuter, but Yami helped raise him and was immune to his little brother's tricks to getting out of trouble. "Perhaps I should reconsider my promise and ask Temie if he'd prefer Brussels sprouts for dinner instead of pasta."

Yugi's reaction changed in an instant.

"No!" the younger squeaked in pure panic, and jumped to his feet. He tugged, harshly on Yami's arms and ran around him to push him to his feet when that didn't work. "Let's go, please! We can go right now! I'll even carry everything home, I promise." It took all of Yami's willpower not to fall to the ground laughing.

"Alright, alright, little one we'll go." Yami chuckled, at Yugi's relieved smile, while reaching to retrieve his bag that he lost during their play. "But you have to promise to behave." Yugi groaned in defeat but nodded, regardless his love of seeing the town outweighing his pride. No matter how old Yugi grew, to Yami he'd always be his baby brother.

The Moutos had moved to the sleepy town of Hawkins Manor when Atem was 15, Yugi was 9 and Yami had just turned 13—and began seriously rebelling against the role society had dictated for him. The trio's grandfather Solomon, the Mouto family patriarch and a retired gamer and archeologist had settled his family in the small town not long after the family lost their beloved matriarch to illness.

When the Moutos first arrived in Hawkins Manner, Adinna, the trio's mother and a fantastic artist, and their father Aknankanon, a famous explorer and treasure hunter both shared a love of adventure. Though the continued their adventurous life well after they married, they'd settled down for a short time when they received the joyful news that Adinna was pregnant. Once Yugi was old enough to travel, the family continued their adventurous life-style. Unfortunately, news of her mother's illness sent Adinna, Aky and the three boys rushing back to Domino, but sadly no medication was enough to save her. Sarah's dying wish to her family was for them all to be happy and to never stop following their hearts. Shortly after, the Moutos accompanied Solomon to the sleepy, provincial little town of Hawkins Manner where the adults set up a small shop selling glass objects, paintings and sculptors and even some old antiques, even though they were richer compared to the rest of the small town.

It hadn't been too difficult for the family to settle into small town life, after almost four years of traveling. Atem, a kindred spirit like his mother and grandmother, adored all forms of art around the world, but Atem found the antiquarian style of their Easter European home inspiring. Soon, his art flooded the shop; his preferred free-verse style of work, unbound by the limits and regulations of a people pleaser earned his family a modest sum. As long as Atem had his art, he was happy. Carefree and fun-loving, Yugi found a new adventure in everything he could find and delighted in the woods and the fields around his home and the town and the many buildings. The exuberated teen always found something to explore or a new game to play.

Yami, unfortunately, hadn't adjusted so easily. He missed those days, the traveling and seeing many exotic places and cultures, learning about the world and sailing the sea, ever since the morning they came to this provincial, backwater town. Already mid-morning and the streets were alive with bustling people, carrying out identical routines to the rest of the week. The smooth cobble stone streets lined the city identical massive stones corbelled together and weighed down on sods of earth. Identical white and gray houses on batched of dirt or elevates on dist hills lines each side of the streets with windows for houses on top and shops on the bottom, smudged close together while stone chimneys lined each triangular roof. An enormous wall surrounded the town, separating it from the lush woods and fields, already starting to bud in the late spring.

Every morning just the same, Yami noticed. The baker carried his tray like always, the aroma of baked goods and perfumes filled the crisp autumn air as people opened up shop and carried out their daily routines. Already people were gathering their goods and running errands, the same routine, saying good morning and asking how they were and how their families were doing.

Even though the Moutos were different, they were no exception.

"Good morning, Yugi. Good morning Yami." The baker howled, carrying a tray of bread and rolls.

"Good morning, sir!" Yugi chimed and rushed over with Yami behind him. Yugi bounced from shop to shop, delighting in his favorite past time while Yami tried in vain to strike up a conversation with the baker. "Where you off to?" The baker asked.

"The library," Yami answered. "I just finished the most amazing book, about a cursed family of spell casters and—"

"That's nice." The baker replied, having clearly stopped listening after Yami said library and called to his assistant to finish making the croissants for the day.

Yami rolled his eyes and called for Yugi. They continued their stroll to the only real place Yami felt at home in the dull, little town. Already, towns people began to gossip about them as he walked by.

"That boy is strange, no question" A group of gossiping old bats spoke amongst themselves. "He's always distracted."

"He's never part of any crowd." An aristocratic woman pointed out. "He's always by him self reading books."

"His head's in the clouds, all the time." An old man grunted.

"No denying he's a funny boy, that Yami." A group of shoppers conversed amongst themselves, while men running shopped, bowed and tipped their hats respectively to any woman who came by.

_What it wrong with these people! _Yami growled in annoyance as he heard the gossip. A caravan drove by ignoring the two boys after the driver said the ritual "Good day", while three teenage girls giggled like school girls when Yami walked by. "The boy is so peculiar."

"I wonder if he's feeling well?"

"He's too wild."

It took all of Yami's will not to growl in frustration.

"He always has a dreamy far-off look oh his face."

"If his nose isn't in a book, he's scribbling away in a notebook."

"He's so strange, but special. It's a pity he doesn't fit in."

"Oh yes, he's ravishing isn't he?"

"Quite. He is a funny boy though."

"A beauty, but a funny boy."

"Very different from the rest of us."

"Lord take me now, if I ever become part of this life!" Yami growled to the heavens, stomping his foot in frustration. His fists clenched whenever the words "odd", "strange", "Funny" or "peculiar" were mumbled over and over just like yesterday and the day before that.

Every day was the same thing and he had half a mind to turn around and tell everyone in town to shut their mouths and mind their own business, but he forced his tongue in check. No, he cared nothing that such an outburst would only warrant more disrespect from the town and they'd treat him as even more of a pariah than he already was. It was solely out of respect for his family that he kept his calm. Yami adored and respected both his parents, as well as his aging grandfather. He, Atem and Yugi had been devastated when age robbed them of their last living relative, shortly after disease killed their mother and their father's weak heart led him to follow her to death less than a year later. The town could say whatever they wished about him, but Yami'd never forgive himself if he accidently tarnished his parents' and grandparents' good name because of his inability to control his temper. That and he knew the only thing loosing is temper would accomplish would be the residents marching up to his house and complaining to Atem about how his younger brother was "too wild" and "lacked discipline" etc. etc. Quite frankly, Yami loved Atem too much to let him put up with their nonsense simply because he was Yami's guardian. It simply wasn't worth it.

Yami had never denied he was different from everyone else, even in his own bizarre family. But after years of traveling and witnessing so many different cultures and places, his own idiosyncrasy seemed miner in comparison. However, in this backwater town so pedestrian and old-fashioned it bordered medieval, those simple characteristics were all Hawkins Manner seemed to care about. Unlike most boys, he wanted to become a writer and travel rather than marry an heiress and inherit and run a vast estate. Yami abhorred the social manners than many considered norm, and as headstrong an outspoken as he was, wasn't afraid voice it---and for that he was considered odd. Not that Yami cared, he'd long since ceased carrying about what others here thought of him. But despite that he truly wished _someone_ would look beyond his "ravishing beauty" and accept him for who he was: an individual and not another handsome boy bound for a prosperous marriage and was simply just too headstrong for his own good.

"Beauty," The word rolled of his tongue simply and with no meaning.

His sharp eyes barely caught his reflection in the glass of one of the shop windows, when he and Yugi stopped to gather the groceries on Atem's list. He turned to meet the lovely boy staring back at him. "Beauty," He mocked again, only darker and snorted. "Yeah, that's a laugh."

People always said the three were lovely like their parents, but in Yami's mind the only the thing the three had in common where their petite and lean figures, their mother's tri-colored hair and their father's exotic eyes that shifted from dark violet to purple to bright crimson depending on the light. Yami was fully aware of his appearance and what others thought of him.

It was no mystery why his parents named him Yamir or that his nickname meant darkness. Like the Moon he was named after, Yami was a ravishing dark beauty with no parallel save his brothers. His petite build was perfectly proportioned and his creamy caramel skin pulled over his lean figure and slender muscles, without an ounce of fat. His hair stood up naturally in graceful, silky spikes of ebony dipped in crimson, while a forelock of golden bangs streaked the black and gently framed his sharp, sculpted face; his features like chiseled marble, sharp and delicate but firm and confident. His perfectly pale caramel skin and chiseled features served as the perfect frame for his most striking feature of all: the exquisite jewels in his eyes. His eyes were the icing on the cake: sharp and narrowed and upturned at the corners as if coated in kohl, and colored a rich crimson, the perfect mesh of amethyst and ruby.

But, in Yami's mind and his normal standards, he wasn't beautiful or even handsome. To be beautiful you had to be tall and willowy like his mother or Atem, and you had to have a perfect tan and look the part of a prince charming. With his height barely over five feet, creamy caramel skin, unusually shaped eyes somewhere between red or purple and spiked mass of tri-colored hair and sharp features: he couldn't even be considered cute. Yugi was cute. With his height of exactly five feet, soft silky mass of amethyst tipped locks of midnight black and forelock of gold, ivory, baby-soft skin, cherubic features, soft figure and slender build and unusually large eyes: he was adorable. His eyes especially and sweet smile radiated fun and innocence, and his pale skin and bangs only made them radiate even more. Their color was equally captivating; they were a dark violet the perfect mesh between dark blue and purple. Compared to Yami, Atem was a handsome prince and Yugi was an angel, while Yami looked more like a damsel in distress masquerading as a boy.

Yet while Yami didn't see the beauty in his appearance, everyone else in Hawkins Manor saw nothing but his fair facade, while making no attempt to look behind it and considered him odd, peculiar, strange etc. Though he cared less what others thought of him, it saddened and frustrated the fiery teen to no end, no one in town could accept him for who he was.

"Yami?" A sweet voice broke the older teen from his thoughts, and he diverted his attention from his reflection to his worried little brother, holding two large bags of already paid for food. "You okay?" Yugi asked.

"I'm fine Yugi," he smiled, "Just lost in my thoughts." He replied following his reflection until the glass faded into wood, the continued on their way.

Far off across the rolling hills and lush countryside, Yami caught sight of the woods, trees were a lit with leaves of red, brown, orange and gold, like blazing fire. The cliff side rumored to lead out of the valley and past and old castle that had been abandoned for little over a century, towered over the green hilly, and flaming wooden landscape like a white tower, beckoning the dreamer to join its life outside the sheltered ways of the valley. A smile played across Yami's face, as he moved a stray blond bang behind is ear. _One day. _Yami promised himself. _One day I'm getting out of this lame provincial life, and I'll never look back. _

*

At last a large cathedral like building came into sight and both boys smiled as they strolled up the stone bath and through the large Oakwood doors. Despite all he's seen in his youth, Yami found no place more magnificent than Hawkins Manner's library. The building was circular in some places and cornered in others, but all the rooms tapered to a point like a small castle. Walls and shelves were lines with books form ceiling to floor, like an enormous labyrinth. Some were so high, tall ladders were placed on casters at different intervals. Though small, books were everywhere and these were no ordinary books; like Yami's favorite, these books were bound in leather or velvet with strong locks and clasps of brass and silver. Their spines were studded with jewels while brilliant leather in elegant script vibrated in the pale light of dozens of candles hanging from the enormous iron-clad chandeliers hanging overhead. The floors were polished wood, interlined with chips of glass and marble. In the center of the room and the labyrinth of shelves set several desks carved from polished oak wood with matching chairs.

At the head of the library, a much more ornament with vines engraved into the side of the wooden slab that rested on top two large trees of the same wood, who's branches and vines seem to convolute and wrap around the slab they were holding while their roots claws at the ground. Sitting behind it, with an eccentric smile, a relatively young man rose to his feet, a waterfall of violet hair fell down his back in straight lines, while his rich blue eyes held a friendly smile. "I was wondering when you boys would arrive." He greeted. "I'd almost given up waiting."

"Sorry Mahad." Yami smiled, "Just here to return the books I borrowed." Yami explained digging through his bag while Yugi scurried off to find something to read.

"Finished already?" Mahad feigned surprise.

"I couldn't put it down." Yami replied, handing him the two books, before strolling over and scanning the shelves. "I don't suppose you have anything new do you?"

Pegasus chuckled. "Not since yesterday, I'm afraid."

"Alright, then I'll just renew this one." Yami requested picking up the leather bound book.

"This one?" Mahad repeated, his fingers dancing over the gold lettering. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you've checked this one out at least once a month since you were 14."

Yami blushed. "Can't help it, it's my favorite. No matter how many times I read it, it leaves me on the edge of my seat, the ending makes my heart race and I continue getting frustrated when I turn to the last page and I can never read the end. I _really _wanna know what the Dragon King's key is." Yami voiced, unknowingly expressing his obsession. Mahad's smile couldn't get any wider. The librarian placed a comforting hand on the teens shoulder before placed his favorite book in his hands. Yami blinked in confusion but before he could voice his question, Mahad answered.

"If you like it all that much, it's yours." Yami's eyes nearly bulged out of his skull. He opened his mouth to protest but the words died in this throat. "I insist." Mahad answered with a wink, before the boy could protest. "My job is to make sure each one of these lovely books finds the right person, and if you're not the one for _The Dragon King, _I'm a blind old fool."

Unsure what else to say, Yami said the only thing that came to mind. "Thank you, Thank you so much!"

Mahad smiled, before jumping in remembrance and diving behind his desk. "I almost forgot." He pulled out a large leather folder tied with a red cord from beneath the mess of his desk, before holding the familiar object out to the young writer. "You left this here yesterday. I couldn't put them down."

Yami's eyes lit up in recognition, and he snatched his portfolio away and hugged it to his chest. "Sorry!" the flustered writer mumbled in apology. "They're not very good; most of them are just drafts and such—"

"Yami," A single word from the librarian silenced him, and he looked up to meet impressed and encouraging sapphire eyes. "They're brilliant, even for 'drafts'. I've read so many books and I've never seen anything half as good as some of the things your imagination has conjured up."

"Uh, thanks." Yami rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Honestly, Yami, what the hell are you and your brothers still doing in this backwards regency?" The question was rhetorical, but no one could mistakes the seriousness in Mahad's question. "You and your brothers Yami, you three have so much talent and so much potential it's such a shame you can't exercise your talents at a more credential location."

Yami blinked than nodded at the compliment. "We're working on it. Atem's hoping to win the Art Contest this year, this pulls through we might finally have enough to move."

"I'm surprised it's taken you so long." Mahad smiled. "You're parents and Solomon left you everything."

"Yeah, but that's our savings, it more than enough to live but not move away and continue living in a new place." Yugi chimed in carrying a small stack of books of his own, and placed them on the table.

"Aye, I tell you boys this place has changed since Arthur passed; Lord bless his soul. I knew it was only a matter of time, since none of those Hawkins seems to take after him, and then Becca rolls in—" Yami growled under his breath at the girls' name, and Mahad decided not to press the issue.

It was true though, for the past year after their grandfather passed away, the three boys had put away their parent's inheritance and started saving their earnings until they could afford to leave, but the shop hadn't been doing as well as it did when Arthur was Duke. But Atem, being the every ambitious and determined older sibling was dead-set on winning the Art Fair this year and moving the three boys to a place where they could finally pursue their dreams.

"All set." Mahad finished checking Yugi's books and placed them all in a bag for the little one to carry. Yugi quickly followed Yami who paused in the doorway to let his little brother pass. Only when he was sure Yugi was safely out of hearing range did he ask his most beloved friend, "Mahad?" Yami didn't both to turn around. "Do you think I'm odd?"

The librarian froze and looked at the boy as if he'd grown an extra head. "Is this because of what those idiots in town keep saying?" He marched over and turned Yami around to meet his saddened eyes.

"It's not that," Yami replied looking away. "It's just… I don't know, I obviously don't fit in, but sometimes I wish I did. Then maybe I could find someone who actually understands me aside from you and my brothers." Yami suddenly found himself wrapped in a warm hug by the librarian, before he was released. Mahad's gaze rested on him with a look of firm affection. "Yami, you're an artist like you mother, and Atem, just with words. That means you see the world in ways other people can't or simply don't. It's your gift, to see the beauty and the horror in ordinary things. It doesn't make you odd, or strange, despite what the idiots in this town seem to think. Just different, and there's nothing wrong with being different." Yami wasn't sure whether to smile or laugh for his silliness so he did both. "Thanks Mahad."

"Anytime," the librarian laughed. "Now you better go find your brother before he gets himself in more trouble." Yami just laughed before quickly existing the library and following his impatience sibling down the street.

* * *

Phew! This chap was easy to write, but a pain to edit. The begining was the only thing that never really changed, I always wanted it to Yami reasing Kaiba's story in a tree, and falling out of it, just in time to meet Yugi. I Love Love LOVE Yami and Yugi as siblings almost as much as love them in puzzleshipping! (And yes, Atem is in this too and he and Yami are too completely different--and yes they will have different perosnalities.)

If you've read my previous story Let Me Be Your Wings than you know that Yamir: the full-vesion name i gave Yami, means Moon. Since this is Eastern Europe, i ecided to keep both the name and Keep his nickname meaning Darkness. Since both Yami's parents are well traveled it makes sense they'd give their sons name that suit their perosnalities (Atem's is after the egyptian sun god, Yugi's means Game, Yamir means moon and Yami mans darkness). Plus it did fit well into his appearance so i threw it in there.

Being the over critical thinker and realism addict that I am, I did a lot of thinking about the location and time period for this story. I even considered France like the original fairy tale, which would make something else easier but I turned it down. Eventually, I settled on Eastern Europe in the late 1880s. I did this for a plethora of reasons, but the main being I'm hooked on the late 1890 early 1900s time period, the era of masquerades and when gothic literature and supernatural was at its high point. Though i won't lie, The Van Helsing, movie was what really helped me decide since I really liked the landscapes and settings of Eastern Europe, especially Budapest, Hungary, the setting of Underworld, one of my favorite Movies.

Second, the late 1800s and a backwater town filled with social norm obsessed townspeople completely made up Eastern Europe at the time, so it was the perfect location for Yami to feel out of place; also considering the Mouto's traveled all the place in this time period it served a strong purpose for what i have planned much later in the story.

The final reason I settled with Eastern Europe: which I was ecstatic about when I read it, Romania and Hungary aka the core of Eastern European Culture, in mythology not only did they have dragons but they were neutral: in some places they were feared like the rest of Europe, but other times they were protectors especially white Dragons (Bang! I got my location! Thank goodness!)

I didn't feel the need to input to much detail into the twon after its first sight, but I used photos from modern day Eastern European towns in Hungary and Romania, as well as the town from Beauty and the Beast, to show how much Yami and his family (Yami especially) feel out of place. The Part with the town and Yami's back story really got the most editing out of this whole chap! I wanted to get all the details in there but I didn't want it to be so over detailed, so fortunately, my good friend YamiSorceress aka Athena read over all three versions of the chapter i sent her, until we both agreed the third one was the best.

Not sure when the second chap will be up, but I've already got it planned out I just need to write it.

Next Chapter: The Dutchess.


	3. Chapter 2: The Duchess

Hey everyone! First off I wanna thank all of my fans and reviews and everyone who Altered and faved this story (though i was kinda hoping for a few more reviews) XD! Thank you all so much! I'm still hoping this story becomes as Popular as Let Me Be Your Wings.

I was hoping to update this last week, but I had to pack up my entire room for collage, get the anti-virus off my laptop and update it, thanks to my awesome uncle, run a virus scan that lasted 3 hours, drive up to school, un pack, get settled and everything else under the son so i was pretty streched (collapses) forutnately, this chap was done, written wise, last week and i finished editing it last night, so here it is!

As always Read, and review, critique, comment, and whatever else, constructive critisms is always encouraged but all flames will be ignored as well as repsonded to with a peice of mind (and trust me you don't wanna get on my bad side)! ENJOY!

Disclaimer: Yugioh and its characters belong to Kazuki Takahashi and Beauty and the Beast belongs to the French author who wrote, since i can't for the life of me remember his name. Thsi is just for fun. HOWEVER: the poem KINGDOM OF DREAMSD AS WELL AS ATEM'S PAINTING IS MINE!!! I wrote it specifically for this story and like it a lot so NO STEALING OR USING WITHOUT PERMISSION! I'M DEAD SERIOUS! YOU **_DO NOT_** WANNA SEE ME IF YOU STEAL MY ART!

* * *

Chapter 2: The Duchess

"Phew" Yami sighed in relief as he dropped the bags at his feet and plopped down next to the equally exhausted Yugi on the side of the town square fountain. "Think we got enough food?" he teased.

"Well we got everything on Temie's list." Yugi smiled. "You remembered the pasta right?"

"Yes I remembered the pasta." Yami rolled his eyes playfully.

Yugi smiled and dug into Yami's bag before pulling out a lovely crimson velvet bound portfolio with a gold lock, and clicked it open. He thumbed through the leafy pages until he found a small back of stabled pages and pulled out the top one, smiling before placing the packed in Yami's lap. "Care to show your favorite little brother what you've been working on?" He flashed a bright smile and his infamous pleading look.

"Maybe later." Yami replied calmly, earning him a look of pure shock from Yugi. Yami could never resist Yugi's "face" when he wanted something. Yami just laughed and scooped his collection of papers in his hands before looking at the one Yugi picked out: the poem was written in his hand writing, above the image of a field of blue roses. In the heart was an ancient castle that dated back to the early 19th century of Eastern Europe. The only difference was this castle was pure white, each stone chiseled from stabs of pristine marble. Yugi leaned over his shoulder immediately engrossed in the detailed sketch of Yami's. "Damn Yami, you could give Atem a run for his money."

"It's just a sketch." Yami snorted.

"It's still awesome! No can I see the poem or not?" Yugi pleaded. Deciding to humor his little sibling, Yami sighed in defeat. "I'll read it to you."

Yugi perked up and sat cross-legged next to him, waiting.

Yami smiled and skimmed the lines he'd written, before finally reading them aloud:

"Kingdom of Dreams by Yami Mouto.

"Come to me, my Prince of Dreams

"To my white castle atop the shinning hill

"Shadowed by Twilight's spell

"My Kingdom, shrouded in mists,

"Lost by time, a secret that no longer exists

"Rescue me, become my majestic key

"Escape the chains that bind

"You heart and spirit behind

"The bars of Society

"Come to me, My key of Fire,

"My hope the sings,

"Join me in the Kingdom of Eternal Dreams…"

Yami's baritone voice spoke each word so passionately, even the cats and creatures that frolicked through the towns stopped and at alongside Yugi engrossed in each dazzling word. "That's amazing!" Yugi cheered, and giggled as Yami blushed.

"You think everything I write is amazing, Yugi." Yami smiled, rolling his eyes.

"Because they are!" Yugi insisted, kneeling over the side of the fountain to dig through Yami's portfolio. "Didn't you say that one goes with another poem….or passage! Here it is!" Yugi cheered in victory pulling out another passage Yami wrote and placed in his lap. "This one! I remember cuz when you were reading it you had this really dreamy look on your face like Mana whenever she's around Mahad." Yugi's smile almost split in half at the dark blush suddenly covering Yami's face, as he snatched both things away and stuffed them back in his portfolio.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, little one." Yami insisted smirking; it would've convinced anyone else despite the faint scarlet dusting Yami's caramel cheeks, but not Yugi.

"Yes, you do! You wrote that passage about the Dragon Prince didn't you?" Yami's eyes nearly bulged out of his skull at Yugi's innocently smirking face. "HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT!" Yugi almost burst out laughing at his older brother's panic, "I don't have to, it's written all over your face. "Did you write Kingdom of Dreams for that reason too?" Yugi teased.

Growling in defeat, Yami ran his hand through his golden forelock and sighed. "Yes and no. Yes, they were inspired by the fairy tale, but no it's not about them. I wrote them after I had a dream." Yugi blinked in bewilderment. "I know silly, right?"

"No! I wanna hear it!" Yugi insisted widening his eyes. Rolling his eye, knowing Yugi wouldn't let the subject drop, he continued. "Alright, well, in my dream I'm in a field of flowers outside the castle and while I'm in the field I hear a song playing and I followed it and I saw a man standing there holding the most beautiful music box I'd ever seen. The music was so lovely, it reminded me of the songs papa and mum used to sing or show us whenever we traveled. And while the music was playing, he was singing those words in the most amazing voice I'd ever heard. I doubt I could even describe it, and the second I woke up, I just wrote the poem down and then I just couldn't get that man out of my head. I kept dreaming about him more and more until I finally wrote it down." Yami explained unwittingly, letting his hidden passions seep into his voice; something that didn't go unnoticed by Yugi, who's smile only widened until it nearly split his face in half. "You're in love."

Yami almost fell off the fountain. "By God Yugi, have you been reading mum's romance novels again?"

"No, but I recognize the signs: you're in love with your Dragon prince." Yugi teased, with a smirk that put even Yami and Atem to shame, a he leaned over his older brother. "And don't try and deny it either, Yami. That might work on someone else, but not someone who's known you as long as I have."

"I remain a slave on your chain. Fine, you're correct Yugi, but you and I both know how foolish that is." Yami sighed in defeat, before, sighing in disappointment. "The Dragon King is only a fairy tale, he's not real. Then again, how appropriate is it all the perfect lovers exist only in books." Yami sighed, saddened, looking heavenward for assistance to his dilemma.

"Don't worry, Yami." Yugi encouraged, leaning against Yami's shoulder. "I'm sure you'll find your true love."

Yami chuckled and ran his fingers through Yugi's silky tresses. "You're a hopeless romantic, little one."

"Hope_ful_" Yugi corrected, mischievously. Both boys broke into a fit of laughter, until they were interrupted by the sound of a carriage and horses pulling to a stop.

Just like that everyone in town stopped: disrupting their routine but this weekly ritual was as practiced as routine as everything else in Hawkins Hallow. Everyone was more than happy to greet the woman exiting the carriage. The first to exist the expensive, flamboyant carriage was a girl, in a simple but expensive blue dress. Her long indigo hair was tied in a high ponytail by a pretty yellow ribbon, while her sapphire eyes glowed against her white skin. A noble, but not the reason everyone had stopped.

Yami and Yugi recognized her gait before she even stepped out of the carriage, a deliberate swagger that to this day filled even the strongest of men with desire. Stepping out of the carriage in a simple blue-gray dress with the most expensive embroidery anyone had ever seen and a tiara and necklace of the finest craftsmanship. The dress was only a simple outing gown but it was still the most expensive thing either Yami or Yugi—who both traveled and had outfits from all over the world—had ever seen. The hues along probably cost more than their entire combined wardrobes. White gloves molded the lady's perfect slender arms leaving little to imagination and the dress hugged her curves tightly the hems and train, pooling around her legs and feet, waving over the ground and steps as she stepped down from the carriage. Her white lace corset hugged her shapely torso revealing her slender hourglass figure and full breasts. Men became love struck at her appearance, and woman were instantly struck with jealously or admiration.

Combined with perfectly smooth, and unblemished white skin, a perfect, delicate round face like a china doll, long elegant locks of gold tied into two pigtails and falling town her head in a single perfect, elegant smile down to gracefully sweep across her shoulders and large eyes the color of light jade treasures, sparkled even without light reflecting them and a bright, wide smile and bright as the sun itself. Duchess Rebecca Hawkins was in every inch, a fairy tale princess. After all, the Hawkins has founded Hawkins Manor sometimes in the early 15th century and still owned it to this day—as the Duke or Duchess, since the former monarch of the area had all perished in a horrible coup not 100 years prior.

When they were younger, Yami never realized how rehearsed Rebecca's walk was: how coy and arrogant, and completely and utterly certain, just like her arrogant glances and her audacious smile—if anyone cared to notice that is. His gaze turned to Yugi who nodded in understanding. Both boys backed up their books and the groceries and readied to leave. But a second too late, the duchess' gaze found them and she smiled, a seductive smirk that Yami hated more than anything else in this backwards realm. Again she strolled over in the practiced swagger before stopping in front of the fountain before the two boys could sneak away. "Hello, Yami." She smiled sweetly, but the teen saw right through it.

"That's Yamir, your grace." Yami retorted with a hard gaze. Yami was a nickname reserved only for his closest friends and family. At one point she may have been allowed to call him that, but she'd lost that right years ago. Her gaze immediately hardened when he used her title instead of her name, though she's told him time and time again he was allowed to; he simply refused to.

It was so hard to believe, impossible really that this arrogant, pompous and well bred woman obsessed with luxury and her own social position was the same sweet, mature and free-spirited freckled faced kid Yami and his brothers knew as children. Arthur Hawkins, Rebecca's grandfather and Solomon Mouto had been the closest of friends for years. It was solely because of Arthur the family move to Hawkins Manor in the first place. Arthur had been Duke of the city and the peasants for almost sixty years, and had made it perfectly clear he was just as much a citizen of the town as the rest of the valley. He never cared for social status or reform and only for the well being of the town and the citizens. As a result the two families—The Hawkins and the Moutos had been quite close. Rebecca was only two or three years older than Yugi, making her closest to Yami in age. Often times Arthur and Solomon jested about the two of them getting married one day and joining their families—something Rebecca's parents took to heart for the future, especially as their preteen years faded and the boys entered adult hood. Neither Adinna nor Aky considered the idea, especially since none of the boys seems to like Rebecca in that sense. But once Arthur died and Adinna fell ill, everything changed. Once Rebecca and her family took the roll ad Duke and Duchess, and delighted in the "royal" lifestyle, the boys saw less and less of Rebecca as she became too well bred in the position of her family, and became completely smitten with the life of royalty.

"How many time must I ask you to call me Rebecca, Yami?" the Duchess smiled sweetly, hoping for a romantic response.

Yami just rolled his eyes and gathered his papers together before typing his portfolio closed. He'd lifted it to put it away but Rebecca snatched it away. "What are these, darling?" She asked with mock curiosity, flipping through the papers.

"Lady Hawkins, please return my portfolio." It took every ounce of Yami's will power to remain civil. It was for the sake of his family's good name that he didn't snatch it from her hands and scold her like a child.

"Did you write all these, Yami darling? You must have way too much time on your hands if you waste it scribbling away and reading books." Yami growled at the derision in Rebecca's voice.

"That's not true!" Yugi was on his feet faster than anyone expected of the small teen. "Yami's an amazing writer, if you even bothered to read them instead of spending all your time in that ridiculous palace, you'd recognize some good literature." A few eyes widened and jaws dropped at Yugi's brazen comment, but Rebecca paid the boy no mind and snapped the portfolio closes, holding it as if it were a discarded garment.

"Oh Yami, darling, you have so much promises. You're seventeen already? Don't you think it's about time you got your head out of those silly stories and started paying attention to more important things? I mean the whole town is talking about it; you spend all your time working at that little shop or reading. It's such I shame." She spoke in such a dreary tone as if Yami was a poor, unfortunate pauper instead. He rolled his eyes and let her rant, knowing full well she wouldn't care if he was paying attention to her or not. When Rebecca became Duchess at only 15, she accepts the position with a smile and had been trying to sway Yami to her way of life ever since. The trio lost touch with her as a result, especially Yami who rejected the idea of the rich and nobility and would rather live a life free and away from petty, materialistic things. After all, he was perfectly happy living with his brothers where they can carry out their artistic dreams and ambitions—Of course Rebecca didn't notice, or didn't care.

"Of course," Rebecca's emerald eyes fixed a cruel, seductive glint, met Yami's hard, crimson ones. "If you were married to a more…_privileged _person you wouldn't have to work a day in your life."

"Marriage?" Yami's eyes widened. _Good Lord she's not going to go on about _that _again?_ "I don't think so Rebecca, I like working, besides I don't want to marry just anyone. Now please return my portfolio." He ordered, attempting to mask the hostility in his voice, and held his hand out.

"Oh it wouldn't be just _anyone._" Rebecca ignored him, and held the portfolio out of his reach so his gaze was fixed on her. "You of _all_ people, Yami, deserved far more than just anyone. You deserve someone _beautiful, wealthy, well-respected_..."

"Those are all material things Rebecca, hardly perquisites for Marriage." Yugi cut her off, his hands balled into fists at his sides.

Yami didn't move. "Give me my portfolio back, Lady Hawkins."

"Someone who's known you since you came here…"

"Give. Me. My. Portfolio back, Lady Hawkins." Yami repeated, with anger seeping into his voice.

"Someone who's courted your for _years,_ and accepted you naivety." She leaned closer to him, irritation marring the seductive charm.

"I won't ask you again Rebecca, now stop acting childish and give me my portfolio back!" Yami thundered in a harsh tone. Taken aback by the scolding and the looks of the towns men, she regained her composure and with as much dignity as she could muster returned the portfolio to its master.

"Very well, we'll talk later than. " Rebecca smiled, tossing the golden girl of her pigtail over her shoulder seductively. "Come a long, Miho, let us return home." She gestured to the indigo-haired girl, who followed obediently.

Yami's eyes were red with rage, until Yugi pulled on his arm a bit. Yami's gazed turned to his little brother's curious stare. "Is she really so naïve she can't tell you're ignoring her flirting on purpose or is she just acting?" He cocked his head cutely, making Rebecca freeze and her tracks and Yami burst into laughter, his anger forgotten. Rebecca turned around, with a mortified look on her face—did the boy just insult her? Without even trying?

"How dare you!" She snapped, pointing accusingly, her composure shattered.

"Now, now, my lady." Yami chuckled. "He's only jesting. Come on Yugi, let's get home before Atem wonders where we've been." Yugi smiled as the two scooped up the groceries and books and strolled past the duchess and he noble woman and down the street towards home.

Once they were out of earshot of town and Rebecca, Yami turned to his smiling little brothers. "Thank you for that, Yugi. I swear I would've throttled her if she called me 'darling' one more time."

"I don't know why you put up with her, Yami!" Yugi asked with a snort. "You think, it would finally penetrate that thick skull of hers!"

"I doubt that." Yami sighed, annoyed. "Rebecca never was one to give up." He knew that from experience.

She waited…and tried for years, to coax him to her side.

Once Rebecca became Duchess, she'd been indisputably the best choice for marriage in town: wealthy, beautiful, educated, well-respected; in every way Rebecca was a fairy tale princess, and Yami, as "the most beautiful boy in town" was the prince or peasant who had the honor of winning her heart. The fact that their families were close sealed the deal and their betrothal had been widely assumed. So it was much to everyone except the Mouto's jaw-dropping surprise when not only had Yami _not _proposed to Rebecca, he—and his family—down right refused!

But she didn't love him, he knew that. All she saw him as was the best, the only one male "worthy" enough of her position in order to promote her reputation. Despite Yami being classified as "odd" by everyone in the town, they all saw Yami as a "worthy match" to both men and woman because of his handsome appearance and kind-hearted nature and reserve (which he only uses to keep suitors who he knows only want him for his body at arm's length) and of course his family's wealth and well cultured status, despite their bizarre nature. She'd waited and waited, even after he told her not to, even made it perfectly—painfully clear—they weren't going to get married. But Rebecca was a woman who'd _never _not gotten what she wanted, and as such refused to take no for an answer. Her parents pressured the idea and often tried to sway the boys' parents to convince Yami of the idea, even going so far as to offer a handsome dowry for him in exchange. But even with her illness, Adinna refused to budge, and so did Aky. No matter how many times they asked, both just gave the same answer: they would accept no marriage unless it was truly what Yami wanted.

Rebecca's parents finally surrendered last year, well after Aknankanon died and Solomon passed away. They must've finally realized without Solomon's connections to Arthur Yami would never be coerced, and Atem would never accept Yami's dowry *. But Rebecca refused to surrender, so easily.

"Hopefully, when Atem wins this year, we'll finally have enough money to leave this miserable place." Yami smiled, confidently.

"I hope so!" Yugi cheered. "Even I'm getting sick of this place." He smiled looking at the large grandfather clock and his eyes widened. "Oh shoot! Look what time it is!" Yami's distressed tone caused Yami to turn his head and he mentally scolded himself for how late it was.

"We didn't even make dinner yet." Yugi groaned. "And you know what happened last time we got home late?" the youngest Mouto turned to his middle sibling with concern.

"Don't worry, Yugi." Yami assured him. "Até's a smart man; he's not dumb enough to repeat his mistakes."

No sooner had Yami said those words, did a loud explosion erupted from the Mouto home and thick black smoke pooled from the chimney and kitchen windows.

*

Miho** remained silent as Rebecca ranted and raved in the privacy of the carriage. "That brazen, insolent little rat! How dare he insult me!"

"Yugi or Yami?" Miho spoke out of turn. Something she instantly regretted when Rebecca's scowl turned on her. "Yugi, of course! If it wasn't for that little brat, I'm sure Yami would be mine by now! Doesn't he realize those two are the ones who are holding him back!? I could give him anything and yet he still refused me!" Rebecca ranted, clenching her fists in rage. "I mean how naïve can he be? What must I do to persuade him to pop the question?" she thought critically.

Miho could only shake her head. Rebecca was without a doubt a prodigy, but she lacked the most obvious sense. Yami was a dreamer, it didn't matter how rich Rebecca was or what society deemed appropriate; he wouldn't chase Rebecca like everyone else. No, he was chasing the foolish dream of finding true love. A frivolous illusion of course, but Yami believed it and Miho had no doubt Rebecca would never have her "prince charming" unless she convinced him to love her. Something, she knew would never happen. She knew Rebecca well though; the girl always got what she wanted, she always did.

"Why are you so obsessed with him Rebecca?" Miho spoke a loud. Rebecca's attention turned to her immediately. Miho hadn't meant to speak out loud but Rebecca could tell she was only curious. "I mean, you could have _anyone _you wanted. Anyone else. I mean of course Yami's beautiful, but personality wise, he's the complete opposite of the man you want. Why do you keep chasing him, when you could have men so much more charming, and obedient and wealthier, I could go on. You're the Duchess Rebecca! You're beautiful, wealthy, well-educated, men throw themselves at your feet every day! You could replace Yami in an instant? Why do you waste your time with him when you could have anyone else?"

Rebecca chuckled darkly. A cackling sound that would make even the bravest of hearts shiver in fear. "You've just answered your own question Miho." Rebecca smirked. Everything she said was true of course. Yami's appearance was in every inch the way her fairy tale prince was suppose too look, but it was his personality that needed work. Yami was perfect, but he was too brazen, too wild. He needed to be tamed, and she was the only one to do that, after all as a Duchess she needed the perfect husband, but also someone who would never challenge her authority—in business or in bed. "Because I _can _have anyone else."

*

The enormous landscape surrounding the Muto home: a wide golden field and stables with a large pond in the corner bordered on two sides by woods and small Victorian house large enough for a family of six, flew by, unnoticed by it two youngest occupants as both Yami and Yugi bolted across the yard and up the stairs to their house. Both ran surprisingly fast for their short statures. Then again, Atem was in the kitchen, and that alone was enough cause for alarm.

Both of the practically broke the door open, causing more smoke to erupt from the house. Yugi batted away and coughed harshly, before Yami gave him something to cover his mouth with.

"ATEM!" Yami howled, furiously, before stomping towards the kitchen, with Yugi behind him. "GOD HELP YOU IF YOU'RE IN THE KITCHEN!" Yami warned as both eh and Yugi dropped the books and groceries on the table, and turned to their oldest sibling. The kitchen was still intact—Thank the heavens—but the smoke was everywhere pouring out the open windows now that is had an escape. Splotches of soot and ash covered the floor, the counters and the stove, which was wheezing smoke. The wood from the old-fashioned brick stove had burned itself out leaving only ashes and the bowl on top of it, was covered in ash and looked even more charred than the inside of the hearth.

Atem, the oldest Mouto sibling, was on the floor, coughing and wheezing, covered from head to toe in thick, splotches of soot. Like his brothers, his midnight tresses stood in graceful spikes, but his hair was wilder and more harsh than Yugi or Yami's and like Yami has blond streaks through the black mess, and the tips were blood red. His deliciously tanned skin was revealed through the holes in his shirt and pants and speckled with soot and smoke spots. When he stood to his full height in an attempt to brush the ashes off him, he stood a few inches taller than Yami. His features were older and more defined, but finely chiseled, his body was lean and willowy, and perfectly proportioned with firm muscles. His large eyes were sharp and up-turned at the corners and shifted between ruby red and bright crimson. Lone of the Mouto children, Atem alone had their father's rich tanned skin. Even in his paint-splattered overalls and lavender tee-shirt he worse when he painted, and hiking boots caked in oil paint, he looked ravishing.

"Até." Yami said lowly with a clearly angry smirk on his face that made his older sibling fidget. "When mom and dad said you were never allowed in the kitchen again, what made you think they were joking?"

"You two were late." Atem replied crossing his arms trying to look as Regal as possible—something he still manages to do, even covered in suit and with his graceful spikes flopped into a mop around his head and shoulders.

"We're always late! Doesn't mean you have the right to try and burn down the kitchen, AGAIN!" Yugi scolded! "What did you do this time? Forget to take the plastic off again?"

Atem's eyes widened, assuring them both that _was _exactly what he did. "Maybe."

Yami smacked his forehead. "Atem, you're an artist doesn't mean you know how to cook."

"Doesn't mean I can't try?" Atem smirked, rubbing the soot of his cheeks. "At least I didn't burn anything." He mumbled. Both Yam and Yugi glared at him referring to the black soot covering the kitchen. "You know what I mean." Atem snorted, ego defused a bit. "What took you too so long anyway?"

"We stopped at the bookstore, and Mahad found Yami's portfolio." Yugi explained.

"That's it?" Atem raised a cool, eyebrow in disbelief. He knew full well, his younger brothers could live at the library if given the choice but even they always came home on time.

"We ran into Lady Hawkins on the way back." Yami growled.

"That explains it." Atem rolled his eyes. "What did she want this time?"

"Same old." Yami replied, tossing a bag into Atem's lap, which he hesitantly caught in his surprise. "Help us put the food away otherwise no one's eating until breakfast."

Atem was on his feet in an instant, and started helping them unload the food, his stomach winning over his pride. "You should've seen her face when she thought Yugi insulted her?" Yami chuckled, making Yugi blush. Atem only blinked in surprise, before smiling. "Well hopefully after next week, you won't have to deal with her anymore."

"You finished you're painting!" Yugi and Yami both asked with hopefulness.

Yami smirked and grabbed both their wrists before pulling them out of the kitchen, and up stairs and to the west end, where their bedrooms were located, as well as the room Atem and Adinna used as an art studio.

Atem threw the door open, revealing the wooden floor covered by paint splattered sheets, and blotches of pain decorated the walls, The wall opposite the door was made entirely of glass, like a giant window, allowing air and sunlight inside. Blank, canvases and stacks of papers and scrolls lines the other wall while easels with trays of oil paints, water colors, and charcoals, lines one of the tables. Cups filled with pencils, pens, and brushes of various, shape, size, texture and designed covered the tables by the sink where water cans and jars held paint caked brushes. In the corner sat an easel, while a tray of oil paints in various colors rested on the table next to it. The painting itself took Yami and Yugi's breath away.

Atem's latest painting was nothing short of gorgeous.

Reds, ochers, golds, oranges, umbers, and purples swirled with flashes of blue and lavender I the swirling colors of the sunset surrounding an enormous crystalline orb where a myriad of majestic beats burst free from the crystalline object, so real and perfectly proportioned it was as if they'd jump right at you: a golden phoenix surrounded by a spiraling ring of rose petals, a black lion commanding the sky behind him with his roar, a charging cheetah bursting free from a glittering starry midnight, and on top a beautiful orca sprang free from the lavender and blue waves of the ocean. Three majestic dragons sprang to life from the crystal ball, while black silhouettes of birds and creatures flying towards it against the sunset background. But most admiring was the two powerful, aged hands holding his crystal ball towards the sky, releasing the power and majesty of nature itself from the orb. The creatures were so majestic and so well done; it seems each creature would leap out at you if you stared at it for too long.

"Wow!" Was all Yami could say.

"It's amazing, Até!" Yugi hugged him! "Now I know you're going to win this year!"

"Let's hope so." Atem wrapped his arms around Yugi's shoulders and Atem's waist pulling them both close in a hug. "Then maybe we can get out of here."

"Amen!" Yami cheered.

"Now, I'm gonna get changed." Atem released his siblings before strolling down the hallway to his room. "Unless of course you want me to help you clean the kitchen…"

"NO!" Yami and Yugi both said with such force he was taken aback. Atem of course meant it as a joke but it seemed neither Yami nor Yugi were taking the chance.

"Oh and since Yugi will probably be too busy cleaning the kitchen you'll just have to suffer Pasta with my sauce." Yami warned teasingly, following Yugi down stairs, smirking when he saw Atem cringe.

It hadn't taken too long to clean the kitchen, since Atem had only caused smoke and soot to cover the house and fortunately hadn't really burned anything. Still, it took at least an hour to clean the kitchen and make dinner—two things Atem was not allowed to help with since all his elegance and grace with art and movement seemed to cease the second he entered the kitchen. Once they were finished, the trio spent the rest of the night the way they always did: closing up shot and enjoying the night, until Yugi finally feel asleep, resulting in Yami carrying him upstairs, to his room, and putting him to bed. Atem could only smile at the adorable sight.

"What?" Yami asked?

"Nothing." Atem shrugged his shoulders smiling. "Just wondering what you're still doing here?"

"What does that mean?" Yami asked confused, before turning back to Yugi's sleeping form.

"I don't mean, here as in with the family, I meant here in general." Atem explained, sitting down next to his younger siblings.

"Of course, I mean let's face it, I don't fit in here. I mean no one here gets me, and I have no one to talk to except you and Yugi and Mahad. And if you say Rebecca I swear I'll punch you!"

Atem burst out laughing. "I wasn't going to, but remind me again why you don't like her?" Yami teased.

Yami snorted "She's not my type." He said simply.

"Poor Rebecca, maybe if she stayed the same, she might have a chance." Atem said playfully.

"I doubt it, Rebecca was my friend, Até , that's it. Honestly, I just don't wanna get married. I wanna be _in love _when I get married. Not just settle down for the sake of it, or give myself up for money. I'm only seventeen for heaven's sake. I wanna travel, and write, and make my own happiness before I start looking for someone to share my happiness _with._" Yami explained. "Rebecca doesn't care about me, she just…she doesn't understand me. I want someone who loves me for me, and who can _show _me they love me. Like even without saying the words I know they love me."

"Sounds romantic." Atem replied with a teasing smile, before placing his hand son Yami's shoulders. "Yugi's right, you are a hopeful romantic."

Yami blushed before playfully punching Atem's arm. "You're become as bad as Yugi."

Atem just laughed before calming down and smiling sadly. "But seriously, Yami, that's an amazing thought."

Yami blinked at Atem's sudden change of tone. Sensing his brother's confusion, Atem elaborated "You're not like me or Yugi, Yami. You're different." He sighed smiling, looking heavenward as if for guidance from his lost relatives. "I'm like mom; I don't care where I am, or where I go, I'll be happy working for the rest of my life and in one place as long as I can paint and I'm near my family. Yugi's just like grandpa: he loves to move from place to place, but he'll be happy anywhere. You, you're different. You're too much like dad. You can't just stay in one place. You need to travel and move, you need to see thing and experience them for your own, you need to be free and spread your wings."

Yami blinked, taken aback by his older brother's heartfelt declaration. He couldn't find the words to respond. Atem got up before kissing Yami's forehead, and then Yugi's before turning to Atem.

"Night, kido."Atem smiled. "And remember, Yugi and I are leaving tomorrow so we gotta get up early."

"I remember." Yami smiled, before getting up and retiring to his own room for the night.

* * *

1) The reason why Yami calls Rebecca Your Grace or Lady Hawkins is because, even in this world, Duke and Duchesses were referred to by all by the King and Queen (and Arch duke or Duchess) as "your grace" Or the honorable, Lord or Lady, because A Duke or Duchess was the highest ranked position in the European Hierarchy for the longest time. In many cases, such as Hawkins Manor, instead of a Monarchy the country or area would be ruled by an Archduke rather than a King or Queen. In this case, Rebecca is the Archduchess. However, Yami isn't calling Rebecca your grace out of respect but rather a lack there of. Since Rebecca gave Yami permission to use her name in public, by refusing to call her as such, it acts as a formal rejection.

2). A dowry is an amount of money or property given to the bridegroom by the pride's family before marriage since in most societies especially England, the bride would often join her husband's family (which is probably why women take their husband's last name when they get married. In this case however, since Rebecca is a Duchess, and the highest hereditary title of nobility in England, instead of Rebecca joining the Moutos if her and Yami ever got married, her parents would want Yami to join Hawkins family and therefore would pay a dowry for him to Solomon or Atem (his legal guardian) in exchange for him joining the family.

3). I SWEAR she's not an OC Miho is a character from Season Zero of Yugioh, though what pisses me off is the anime totally screwed her up! Miho or Ribbon only had a camo appearance in the manga as a shy librarian Tristan had a crush on (last chapter of volume one). In the anime the elevated her to part of the main cast, though she didn't appear in any anime after that, which annoyed me cuz the anime also made her more bubbly and ditzy. The main that annoyed me here, was that Tomoya Hanaski, who was the sweetest secondary character in the manga appeared three times in the manga and he got cut out of Season Zero and Miho who only appeared ONCE got elevated to the main cast. Anyway, I figured she's be best for the role as Rebecca's "lackey" so, there ya go.

Phew! Glad that's done! Hope My notes cleared up a few thing in this chap: I wanna make sure everyone and I are on the same page with the timer period and all.

Okay, honestly, who thought Rebecca of all people would be the "Gastdon" in this? XD! I had a long debate with myself over who i wanted to fill in that roll since I wanted it to be different from the "bad guy" In this. (Seriously Anyone wanna guess who the bad guy who cursed Kaiba's family is? Come on, seriously, I wanna here you're theories!) I didn't wanna make it Tea since I have too much fun making her #-D like everyone else, Mai was out fo the question cuz i Love her. I thought of Vivian but since she was the bad guy of Let ME be Your Wings I ruled her out too. Eventually, I settled on Rebecca, one cuz i hate her (she's so annoying!) and two she DOES look like a cliched fairy tale princess (or at least i would assume she would when she's older) and I really wanted and liked playing on the irony of Guestdon and the Beast in the movie: ya know how Guestdon LOOKS like a Fairy tale Prince, but his perosnality is the OPPOSITE one sees in a prince, and the beast...well is a beast, but over time he innerly becomes the Fairy Tale prince. Same Perspective in this.

Before Anyone asks and as stated above I WROTE YAMI'S POEM KINGDOM OF DREAMS! I wrote it specifically for this story. I had the scene for Yami and Ygui at the fountain in my head and decided since I made Yami and Writer and Yugi's so mischevious i figure why not see Yami's talent. Plus that poem as a LOT of foreshadowing if you read his details of hsi dream carefully.

I know the whole dream thing was cliched, but there's a reason dreams are one of the biggest (and best) cliches: It works! The dream sequence has a HUGE amount of foreshadowsing but I'll let you guys peace that together. I hope that part didn't sound too cheesy, I wanted to keep Yami as in character in that [art as possible, but tis still tricky. I think i did a pretty good job in the scene with him and Rebecca though.

Finally we meet Atem also, how'd I do with him? One thing that always bugs the hell out of me (espeically in mobiumshipping) is when people make Yami and Atem seperate people, but they have the SAME personality! So I wanted to make sure I made it quitw clear personality and appearance wise who was Atem and who was Yami. Personally, I see Atem as being the more mature, confident and controlled one since he was a Pharaoh in the past while still having that strong and leadersome "older-brother" quality about him, as well as a much more amture insight (cough the end). His painting is also based on a pinting I did in art class in high school (or the way I WANTEd to do it if my art teacher didn't have so many dumb requirments)

Well That's about it: Next Time: Atem is off to the Art fair with his latest masterpeice, and he's taking Yugi with him while Yami volunteers to watch the shop, but when a storm hits and the boys are lost in a storm they find shelter in an old castle...but just becasue they're out of the storm doesn't mean their safe. And Rebecca has a scheme of her own to make Yami hers, once and for all.


	4. Chapter 3: The Master

Hey guys....sorry this took so long but once i planned it out, I got it typed really fast.

I was pretty quick in editing this so i apologize in advance for any grammatical errors I missed, but honestly i was so happy i got this done and so determined to post it up before Friday (or rather before my first class on Friday) i didn't care too much.

There are a few hints of foreshadowing in this, so i wanna hear your theories. As always read, review, critique, give me theories, predictions, whatever...

Disclaimer: Yugioh, Yugioh GX and all its characters belong to Kazuki Takahashi, and Beauty and the Beats belongs to the french guy who made it. I own jack! Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 3: The Master

"Please Yami?" Yugi clasped his hands together and begged.

"Yugi, we've been through this. My answer isn't gonna change overnight." Yami explained again, as he and Atem loaded the caravan with enough supplies for a week's travel.

"Please!" Yugi dragged out the word in a whine, flashing a wide-eyed innocent look when Yami turned around.

"No Yugi." Yami smiled and gently petted Phantom's mane. The stunning midnight colored stallion neighed. "Easy there, boy."

"Please!" Yugi pleaded flashing his infamous pout that had even Phantom whining.

"Yugi, I grew up with you; that doesn't work on me anymore." Yami said calmly, causing Yugi's jaw to hit the floor. Even Atem couldn't resist him when he pulled his stunning amethyst eyes into a cute, pleading look.

"Ah why not!" Yugi pouted.

"Someone needs to stay and watch the shop, Yugi. Since Atem is the one entering the Art Show, he's out of the question, you're obviously too young, so that leaves me." Yami explained smiling at Yugi's cuteness.

"Or, or a third option, all three of us got and we can close the shop for a week." Yugi suggested, hoping for some kind of an excuse.

"Yugi you know we can't leave the shop unattended that long, we already have at least five orders. Besides, I don't mind staying home."

Yugi pouted. "It's not fair."

"Awe, and here I thought I'd get to finally spend some time with my baby brother." Atem playfully whined mocking innocence, causing both his brothers to snort.

"I still don't see why we can't just close the shop for a week." Yugi pouted and crossed his arms.

"Because, even if Temie's newest creation wins, we're still going to need some money for and after we move; unless, of course, you plan on starving, Aibou." Yami explained smiling, stroking Phantom's sleek, midnight nose, affectionately.

"He's not going to give in, Yugi, so come here and help me back." Atem told him. Groaning in defeat, Yugi pushed himself off the side of the caravan and helped Atem load the supplies.

Phantom playfully rubbed his nose against Yami's neck and snorted in his hair, making the older boy laugh. "You take good care of my brothers, okay Phantom." Yami turned around and nuzzled the stunning stallion. "And make sure Até doesn't get lost again. You know how bad he is with directions." Yami teased.

"Hey!" Atem growled. Phantom neighed in approval. "Even the damn horse is against me." Atem growled. Yugi burst out laughing, until Atem heaved him by his underarms and sat him on the driver's seat.

"That's everything." Atem said, dusting off his hands. "We packed enough food, supplies and medicine for at least a week, but we should be back in a couple days; do you need anything Yams?" Atem asked.

"No, I'll be fine. The only thing I need to worry about is Rebbecca and if all else fails Mahado is right down the road." Yami smiled. Atem ruffled his hair, before climbing onto the caravan and grabbing Phantom's reigns.

"We'll be back in a week." Atem promised.

"By Yami," Yugi wormed his way to the front and waved.

"Don't get into trouble while we're gone!" Atem teased.

"I won't; good luck at the fair!" Yami called and waved goodbye watching Phantom and the caravan trot off before disappearing down the road. "And don't get lost this time!" he shouted in a final attempt of teasing.

"Shut up!" Atem hollered, just before the caravan disappeared.

*

"Atem?" Yugi shivered

"Not a word, Yugi." Atem growled; hard ruby eyes meticulously scanned the enormous parchment spreads in front of him. The square-shaped map was large enough that if he held it to its full length it would stretch from his waist to past his hair and spread his arms to their full length.

"Atem," Yugi said again, annoyed.

"Yugi…"Atem responded in a testy voice.

"We're lost!" Yugi shouted in anger, no longer carrying about the consequences of igniting Atem's temper.

The map crushed in Atem's hands as he clumped it in one hand and slammed it down next to him. His teeth gritted in a hiss and his eyes turned to his youngest sibling, bright with anger. "What did I just tell you! What. Did I just tell you!"

"We're lost; you can't read a map, and its pitch black!" Yugi snapped. "If you're not going to admit it to yourself, and since Yami's not here to, I will!" The youngest Mouto may not have been as strong-willed as his older siblings but he was more than capable of holding his own if pushed too far.

Atem opened his mouth to yell, but the words died in his throat, the confident, know-it-all smirk on Yugi's face made it impossible to find fault with his argument, and the proud elder hated that. Frustrated at his bruised ego more than anything else, Atem chucked the crushed map in Yugi's lap. "Fine then, you navigate." He smirked, at the baffled look on Yugi's face before it hardened. Fine; if that was the game Atem wanted to play than Yugi was more then willing to prove him wrong.

"Any idea's Phantom?" Yugi turned to the large black stallion. The horse shook his head. "That's alright." Yugi smiled before flipping his legs over the side of the caravan, slipped inside, and dug through there supplies, before reemerging with a lantern. The angry, orange fire, trapped inside the glass prison, burned vigorously in the darkness. "We're heading to World Fair, right?"

Atem nodded, looking around for any type of landmark to help identify their location. It was hard to tell in the darkness, but the moonlight illuminated their surroundings enough that it looked like a forest. The bone-white trees stood, like enormous skeletons, their decaying leaves, black and brown without the sun to illuminate them. The wind sent a shower of them into the air. The road withered into a dirt path, filled with heavy stones and overgrown with weeds, worn down by travel; he sighed in relief that he remembered to change Phantom's shoes before the journey began.

No sounds flooded the forest except for the cooing of and owl or the hiss of bat wings. The skeletal hands of the trees stretched and pulled as if trying to create a net of branches above them blocking out all sun.

"Well, look at it this way," Atem said humorously. "At least it can't get worse."

No sooner had those words left his mouth, a loud crack of thunder roared across the sky in a high pitched shriek, followed by a waterfall of water, multiple flashes of lighting streaking the night sky and heavy black clouds over head, with flashes of white and lemon yellow.

If looks could kill, Yugi's glare would've sent Atem straight to the eighth layer of hell. "You just _had _to ask, didn't you!?"

*

Yugi's mood failed to increase as the night dragged on. Even though he'd retreated into the cavern, the rain had soaked him to the bone and he'd given up trying to rake the water from his soaked hair. "Dammit, where the hell are we!" He thundered, and jumped as another streak of lighting slashed across the sky followed by the crash of thunder.

"I don't know, but we have to get out of this storm!" Atem yelled, his voice barely a whisper over the freezing wind, hissing like a banshee, the rain hammering the dirt into the ground and the crashing thunder. The night had bathed the entire forest in a cloak of blackness; the only light were the streaks of lighting slashing across the sky like jagged white scars.

Phantom neighed and jumped in fear, as the thunder roared and increase. "Wow! Phantom!" Atem attempted to coax him but it did no good. The storm was savage and dangerous and the horse knew it. Yugi screeched, as he tried to move to the front, only to be thrown back and forth as the caravan shook, due to Phantom's outburst.

A loud burst of thunder roared to life with the force of an explosion. The sound vibrations shook the entire forest, and broke that last of Phantom's calmness. The horse went wild, and ripped the reins from Atem's hand. The Caravan shook violently causing Yugi to scream until he suddenly went flying from the caravan, crashing to the carpet of leaves and mud. Ignoring the horse, Atem bolted off the caravan to his brother's aid.

He scooped the smaller into his arms, checking him over for wounds. The icy rain hammered their skin like a thousand of frozen needles, pricking him at once. Another roar of Thunder and Phantom took off down the road, back the way they came, leaving the two boys alone in the storm.

"Yugi!" Atem called worried. Yugi opened his mouth to reply, but coughed wildly instead. Atem's heart skipped a beat, eyes bulging from shock and worry. He ripped off his thick, black trench coat and wrapped it around the smaller before pulling him to his feet. The coughing continued. Atem dragged Yugi by the hand, willing them both not to stop, until they found at least some form of shelter from the storm.

Rain hammered in diagonal lines, making it impossible to see; the storm blocked out the light of the stars and moon making the forest completely black. Atem pulled Yugi closer to him, hoping to give him further warmth. He stomped in the mud until his boots hit something solid.

Caught by surprise, Atem looked down and found they were no longer on the mud soaked road, but a cobbles stone path, His eyes followed the pale yellow-orange stone until his eyes caught sight of an enormous iron-clad gate. Despite the grotesque, almost haunted appearance, Atem scooped Yugi bridal style, and carried him towards the open gate. The hinges screamed their protest as he through rusted black gate, before slamming it shut, in case any hungry beasts followed them. The cobble stone path winded and curved towards an enormous castle. Atem's eye almost bulged out of his skull at the sight of it.

The enormous Gothic castle was carved of dusty gold and tan stones blocks perfectly smoothed and corbelled evenly. Babylonian-like towers with a multiple cone roof and multiple spires of black slate rose to the left and right of the main house. The roof was a complex jumble of black-slate cones, spires, trapezoids and gothic styles windows with iron frames stacked on connected and linked by flying buttresses. Pointed arches, oval and arch-shaped stain-glass windows, and arches, and balconies littered the entire castle, decorated in a flamboyant tracy. The entrance jutted from the front of the house, carved like a giant hallway of off green-white stones, like columns, the hall ways, hazy glass windows lines with faded silver. The darkness and lightning flashing behind it only added to it haunted appearance but at that moment, Atem didn't care.(1)

Feeling is strength fading him, and seeing Yugi, already unconscious and shivering, he forced his body to obey even as strength left his body, and he fell to his knees. Blackness danced in his vision, before he collapsed to the ground. The last thing he saw, or thought he saw, before the darkness finally claimed him were two small creatures staggering towards them and then two pairs of heavy, black boots.

"What the hell were you thinking!" Voice rang in Atem's head as he felt himself slowly regaining consciousness. He tired to shake the weariness from his mind and focus on the voices.

"Well, we certainly weren't leaving them, freezing to death, out in the rain all night." A soft voice argued.

"Yeah and it's hard to ignore two people who suddenly dropped on your doorstep." A baritone voice with a childish tone to it added.

The first voice shrieked in frustration. "I don't care! I understand you guys wanted to help the poor things, really I do, but think about _them!_ What do you think he's gonna do when he comes downstairs, finds us taking care of two strangers, two strangers who, I might add, are currently sitting on his favorite couch, after having trespassed! He isn't going to consider you're good deed, you guys! The Master will throw a fit!"

"Than don't tell em, Chazzie" A fourth voice entered, heavy with an Australian accent.

"Don't encourage them, Jesse!" The first voice, forenamed, Chazz scolded, the aforenamed, Jesse.

"Come on, Chazz, we can't just leave them out in the storm? I mean we could just…" the soft voice argued timidly, pausing as if to ponder its options. "Just let them stay here the night and let them leave before he wakes up? The Master will never know."

"Syrus…" Chazz addressed the boy who the diffident voice belonged too. "Look me in the eye and tell me you actually believe that will work?"

"Oh for God's sake, Chazz." The unidentified voice howled, followed by the stomp of a foot. "What do _you _suggest we do?" He challenged.

Silence followed, allowing Atem time to recover and force his eyes to open. Haziness filled his vision as lights suddenly filled them but he blinked them away and sat up. Relieved to find Yugi next to him: asleep, breathing normally, and wrapped in a warm blanket and his clothes, hair and skin bone dry, he couldn't help but smile. He looked own at himself, not only to find he was no longer on the cobblestone path, but a soft leather couch, covered by a thick fur blanket. The rain water has been stripped to the last drop from his clothes, hair and skin, much to his shock, thought he refused to complain.

The eldest Mouto shook away the last vestiges of sleep and turned to thank their caretakers, but when he turned to the source of the voices he found not people—but four tiny creatures standing in a circle. One a furry chocolate colored, no bigger than a cat, with small green hands and clawed feet. Gold and purple eyes glittered with mischief and defiance. A pair of small cherub wings sprouted from its back. The second, a small indigo blue colored cat with four large, pointed ears the stuck out from its head at odd angles, with ruby eyes and a ruby spear embedded at the end of its tale. The largest was a dragon no bigger than a puppy. Its colors split right down the center of its body, half pristine white shimmering like pearls, the other obsidian black, one wing white and angelic the other black and bat-like; it even had two tales, one black and one white. Only its stormy blue eyes and the blue diamond embedded on its forehead contrasted with the black and white color scheme. The smallest, and clearly the source of the timid voice, based on its diffident composure, was a tiny red, yellow and silver baby dragon. It looked like a machine at first; its was body red and gold plates with a mechanical neck and tail of silver, and claws like gold pincers. It had no wings, but its large red eyes blazed with innocence.

Yugi stirred awake, cutely rubbing his eyes, and shook his head adjusting to the like. The winged fur ball, gently strolled over to Yugi, before climbing up the couch like cat and perched itself on the head rest before cutely holding out a small paw for the boy to shake.

"Hi, I'm Jaden." It smiled. Yugi's reaction was that of a wound-up spring. The small boy screamed and jumped and fell backwards all in one motion, is hand missing the couch and fell into nothing causing him to crash to the floor in a heap.

His eyes bulged out of his skull, when the furry creature looked over the edge of the couch, like looking over a ravine, and asked "You okay?"

"A talking fur ball?" Yugi pointed from the floor, his voice speaking automatically, shaking. Atem was clearly frozen from shock.

"I'm not a fur ball!" Jaden stomped his foot, rising to his feet insulted. He growled when he heard the black and white dragon snickering, threatening to burst into laughter. "I'm a winged-kuriboh!"

Yugi repositioned himself on to his knees just in time to meet jeweled red eyes. The blue cat smiled brightly. "Howdie? Name's Jesse, what's yours? And before ya ask, I'm a ruby carbuncle."

"I'm…Yugi." Yugi momentarily forgot to breathe, but answered none the less, before turning his he'd to his older brother. Atem was frozen on the couch, with Jaden floating around his head like a bird, waving his green paws in front of his face. "Hello? Is he mute?" Jaden turned to Yugi, pointing a small claw at the elder Mouto.

"He's in shock, you idiot!" the black and white dragon howled, the storm-like voice identified him as Chazz, who the three were arguing with before.

"So then you must be Syrus?" Yugi smiled to the timid toy-like red and gold machine dragon. The aforenamed, Syrus, nodded and walked over, since he had no wings of his own. Yugi gently picked him up, the boys was small enough to fit in his palms like a large kitten.

"I'm a dragonroid*." Syrus explained, holding out a claw-like pincer-hand to Yugi. "My name is Syrus."

"I'm Yugi." Yugi shook the dragon's claw with two fingers. "And that's my older brother Atem." Yugi smiled to his elder sibling.

Though shock was evident all over his face, Atem held up a hand and waved.

"Oh for the love of God." The Light and Darkness Dragon**, Chazz smacked his forehead with his wing, before a brilliant sapphire glow surrounded his body. A second later, the dragon vanished and the light expanded until a tall, younger man with a slender, vampire-like figure stood in its place. Midnight hair in graceful spikes adorned his head. His bone white skin and angular features high-lighted his rich, storm-blue eyes, sharp and elegant, like his smirks. A glossy black trench coat fringed with silver draped his shoulder, sweeping to his high black boots, lace with silver and blue straps. His arms crossed over his dark blue form-fitting shit and lustrous black leather pants, clothed his lithe frame. "Is this better?"

Atem fell out of his seat. The boy stood transparent and translucent. "You're a ghost." It was a statement of surprise, not a question.

"Spirit, actually?" Jessed, replied in a rich Australian accent. A flash of turquoise and in place of the slender, blue cat stood a tall, strongly-built boy, around Chazz's height, with a spiky mop of dark turquoise hair; the bangs cast spiked shadows over his round eyes, like rich green emeralds. He was dresses similar to Chazz, except his outfit consisted of blue and white and he wore a vest and his coat was of a Victorian style.

The newly turned boy offered a hand to the mystified boy on the floor. Yugi took it without thinking unable to take his eyes off the transparent phantom standing before him. Yugi's eyes darted to Syrus, then Jaden, then Jesse and Chazz.

Syrus and Jaden looked at the other and smiled, before answering his unasked question. Jaden landed on the floor, bathed in a red light, before the winged kuriboh he once was transformed into his true form: a handsome boy with a perfect caramel tan pulled tightly over his firm muscles. A mane of bronze hair topped with orange adorned his head. Despite his mature features his large, chocolate brown eyes and mischievous smile radiated innocence and youth. Form-fitting black adorned him form neck to toe, draped over with a blood red and white knee-length blazer, which he left opened. He stood proud in a pair of red and black boots, before wrapping an arm around the Dragonroid in Yugi's hand.

Syrus smiled, a light blue flash was the only warning anyone had before in the robot's place stood a small, petite, almost delicate boy, around Yugi's age. His pale aqua hair was sections into three parts, falling to his shoulders. His features were soft and innocent, and his large eyes flashed a brilliant shade of silver radiating kindness. Like the others, he wore a trench coat but his was dark blue over a black turtle neck and buttoned all the way down to his black knee-high boots.

All of them were transparent and hazy like faded images but clearly still there and physical enough to touch but nothing more.

"You're spirits?" Atem asked when he finally calmed down enough to talk clearly.

The four nodded.

"Hate to break this up, but you three know they can't stay here! It's bad enough you even brought them inside!" Chazz, dragged them back to the issue at hand

"We didn't mean to intrude," Atem explained, "I just needed to find Yugi and I shelter from the storm, we'll leave in the morning."

"Hell no!" Jaden cut him off. "You're not intruding at all! Chazz is just worried about the Master that's all, but he's asleep, just let us warn him quickly that you're here and then—"

"Too late" a cold voice shook the room, and froze the four spirits in horror before bolting around. Another spirit dressed in metallic silver armor in the shape of a dragon stood in the shadows, only his sharp steel colored eyes, a shade darker than Syrus' shimmered I the darkness.

"Zane, what—" Syrus opened his mouth to ask, but was cut off but an earth-shattering roar like a draconian wail echoed through the castle shaking everyone within it to their knees. A tremor ran through Atem's body and Yugi through himself in his brother's arms, shaking in fear.

"The master's awake." Zane said casually, earning him four glares of anger in return. "And he's furious with your four."

A sharp gust of wind roared through the castle, silencing all the candles and shrouding everything in darkness. Despite the fear wracking their bodies the four spirits moved to hide their guests as best they could, in a vain attempt to hold their master's anger. All four of them shook in fear. They knew full well the Master would never harm him, but just his presence alone was intimidating.

"Temie, I'm scared." Yugi trembled trying to hide in his brother's coat.

"Shh, it'll be alright Yugi, I've got you." Atem soothed in a vain attempt to calm him down. But he screamed when suddenly a loud gust of wing like the beat of giant wings followed by the loud thump of someone landing behind him before the boy-spirits could react, and then suddenly he came face to face with two blazing blue eyes with black slits, not human, almost draconic….

Yami stories flashed in Atem's mind like old photographs. Stunned mystification caused his eyes to bulge. "That's not possible," His mind began spinning and his body felt faint, but he stood his ground.

He couldn't show fear with Yugi in his arms.

The Master glared at him, those impossibly blue eyes bore into his terrified ruby like piercing arrows. Then he chuckled, a low callous laugh. "Is that all you can do?" he spoke in a dark, humorous hiss. His blue eyes aligned with the fire of hurt and ire that seemed so much older and deeper than his youthfulness. "Stare at me, like I'm some kind of monster."

"Master—" Syrus tried to speak but the Master's harsh gaze silenced him.

"It's our fault, not theirs! We're the ones who brought them here!" Jaden, who'd always been outspoken for his age, tried in vain to defend them but the Master's loud growl soon silenced him as well. Even Chazz, who was one of the few who could speak to the Master freely, shivered at the Master's temper.

"We mean no harm." Atem replied. "My brother and I just needed shelter from the storm." He explained. The eyes left him and the moment they did, Atem felt as if some enchantment upon him had broken, until he realized the Master has not even noticed Yugi until that point.

Before he could speak another world, Yugi's screamed pierced the night, followed by Atem's when he felt Yugi ripped from his arms. Something cold and metallic, wrap around his arm, prying them apart harshly.

"Don't hurt my brother!" Atem screamed, without thinking. The Master's eyes bulged in both horror and confusion, before bitterness and humor once again filled them. Dark, pearls of harsh laughter spilled from the Master's lips shaking everyone to the core. "Of course that would be you're first assumption. Of course. Too bad; I was going to be lenient, but since it seems you don't know how to hold your tongue, I suppose you'll need harsher lesson." The master spoke arrogantly, in a tone that froze Atem's core, he couldn't see Yugi in the darkness but could hear his tears and trembling. Each one ripped another piece of him apart.

"Master." All four boys raised their voices, only to be cut off.

"Zane put them to bed." He ordered his Stewart who nodded and obeyed. Eyes wide, the four moved to fly, but Zane caught them before they could escape. In a flash of blue, red, green and silver, the boys vanished and four spiritual creatures fell to the floor. Again they attempted to make a dash for it, but the Stewart caught them two in a hand before they could escape. Still they struggled, if only to help their new friends.

The master simply snorted at their efforts. "That's all they'll ever see me as" his harsh voice, ceased all of their struggling. The roundabout tone made it impossible to tell if he was speaking to Atem and Yugi, or Chazz, Syrus, Jesse and Jaden. "They'll only see me as...a monster" he hissed in a voice of rage and bitterness, before scolding harshly "Give up, the four of you!" He commanded before flying away dragging his thrashing and screaming prisoners with him, towards the tower.

Guilt and remorse poisoned the four of spirits; even Jaden could no longer struggle as Zane brought them upstairs to the room they shared for as long as they could remember. The guilt and harshness of their master's tone hurt more than the extremely light punishment ever could.

Even worse were Yugi's screams of terror echoing through the castle until the loud clang of the tower door slamming shut replaced it. A melancholy gloom once again settled over the castle as their master retreated brokenly to his only sanctuary…a silent shiver of hope, tearing thread by threat that they would ever be free…

Or the key would ever come to free their prince, brother and in many ways father, from the undeserving and unspeakable fate that was sure to come the following spring.

* * *

Phew! Boy was I glad to finally finish this, and I broke my record again it only took me too days to type. Originally I was gonna include Yami's encounter with Rebbecca in this but by the time I finished Atem and Yami's part with the castle, it was already eight pages. So sorry, guys but Seto won't be making his appearance until chapter five.

(1) /abramsv/ SPrP8DxMAEI/ AAAAAAAAh4c/EYdJXm9cz3w/s640/45674uygkhjkhj. jpg I found this on the site Castles that will inspire and haunt you while researching Eastern European Castles for this fic. This is the image I based Seto's castle on. I looked up old Eastern European castles and fell in love with it, it was perfect it even has the tower I needed that the Yam finds his brothers in. just imagine it white stone or marble instead of brown.

* Once I decided I was going to make everyone cursed a duel monster, I drove myself mad trying to find one for Syrus. Jaden and Jesse's I think are self-explanatory if you've seen the anime, if not they're they're spirit beast. I looked through all the cards in Sy's deck until I found Dragonroid, which is ultra cute, and was actually alive! Plus also in a season three episode (which hasn't come to America yet, UGH!) this was his rubbed "secret weapon" and his favorite card to I thought it was perfect. Here's the picture, just remove the spaces since fanfiction does something weird with links: http:// yugioh. wikia. com/ wiki/ Dragonroid (this was the best picture of it I could get)

**Light and Darkness dragon is Chazz's guardian spirit in the manga, and fits him once you think about it (half light and half darkness). I personally LOVE that dragon and Chazz is one of my favorite GX character, so I made that his monster form. For an awesome picture of it, there's an amazing one on Slifertheskydragon's deviantart account, there's a copy of it in my favorites: just go to www. S2Teennovelist. Deviant art. Com (remember to remove the spaces) and scroll down to favorites, be sure to click browse and you'll find it.

Next Time: Chapter 4: The Proposal: Yami's vivid dreams are becoming stronger—and darker. But before he can figure them out Rebecca puts her plan into action, and it's not good for Yami…

Anyway as always read and review, now its 2:30 in the morning and i have a 9 o'clock class tomorrow, night!


	5. Chapter 4: The Proposal

Hey everyone! I was shocked at how fast i got this chap done. It only took two days to write, and a couple more to edit. Chapter 5 if almost done begin written but even if i edit it it won;t be up until next week.

I was a tad dissapointed with the lack of reviews for the last chap, not to say the ones i didn;t get were wondeful, but i was surprised that i only got a handful. But no worries. Also specialy thanks to a review of mine who mentioned that the dialect for chap 3 wasn't as cultures as it should've been. I admit I'm an American girl --worse i live in New York--so obviously i don't speak proper english or any thing like that, however i took her advice to heart and edited chapter three and after some critical thinking realized I didn;t like some of the dialect either. I'll still try to keep the dialect of the characters as cultured as I can while still trying to keep their own dialect in check. Getting the characters voices is always hard, but I'm a Characterization nazi so I'll figure soemthing out. So special thanks to her.

Also Even though I'm on a roll with this Chap, I am still tyring to peice together the next chap of Let Me Be Your Wings.

Disclaimer: As always I own nothing, Yugioh, Yuigioh Gx and its characters belong to Kazuki Takahahsi, with the exception of Rebecca who belongs to 4KIDS (which is probably why no one likes her) and Beauty and the Beast belongs to the french author who wrote it. The poem/song in the begining however, I wrote myself and as such belongs to me! and Any scene not seen in the original fairy tale or movie, so NO STEALING!!!!

* * *

Chapter 4: The Proposal

_Heaven couldn't even describe this place; at least Yami didn't think so._

_Despite his gift for words, nothing came to him on how to describe this place. He found himself lying in a field of sparkling blue and violet roses. Their brilliant petals glowing like amethysts and sapphires in the golden light of the sun; no thorns marred their green stems. Fields of the unique flowers bloomed everywhere, surrounding him for miles._

_A top the hill of roses stood a majestic white castle, carved from pristine marble blocks perfectly corbelled upon the suds of earth. Two towers adorned each side of the castle, while a collection of onyx towers, spires, and arches adorned the roof. Stain-glass windows, tracy archways, and balconies littered the castle's front and sides. The entrance hall was made entirely of glass jutting forward like a gateway into a fairy tale. The shinning castle a top a hill of roses pierced the cerulean sky._

_His first instinct was to fall back into the bed of roses, but before he could fall back into the fantasy, something caught his ears…_

_A song playing in the distance. Each crystalline note danced in the air; the melody was a soft euphony of chimes and bells, rolling and dancing in high and mild tunes. He recognized the song in an instant: the melody eerily similar to the lullaby his parents used to sing to him and Atem as children, then Atem to him, and eventually him to Yugi; each night._

_Instantly on his feet, Yami followed the dancing music, until worlds began to dance along with the notes. "Come to me, my Prince of Dreams…"_

_A deep, baritone voice sang, the song that inspired his favorite poem; the voice and the word blended together perfectly. "Come to my white castle atop the shinning hill…"_

_The voice along was like a beacon to Yami. He broke into a sprint following the voice's instructions._

"_Shadowed by Twilight's spell…_

"_My Kingdom, shrouded in mists…_

"_Lost by time; a secret that no longer exists." The voice sung again, urging Yami to run faster._

"_Rescue me, become my majestic key…" Yami's heart beat faster at that line. His determination sparked, sending a message to his legs to make haste._

_Faster, he raced through the field of roses, until at last a silhouette appeared in the distance._

"_Escape the chains that bind…_

"_You heart and spirit behind…. _

"_The bars of Society…" Yami's heart skipped a beat then another. The truth burning in each word the voice sang made his heart blaze even more. Did he truly know that much about him? Know his most secret desires? Dreams? Wishes? _

_The desire for answers only made Yami move quicker. The silhouette becoming clearer and clearer, the closer he got._

_A man stood tall and majestic in a clearing surrounded by roses, the details too far away to describe. A trench coat danced in the wind behind him, giving the illusion of fluttering wings._

"_Come to me, my key of Fire;" The voice continued to sing, drawing Yami towards it all the more. "Yes!" he whispered. "I want to be your key…"_

"_My hope the sings," Closer, Yami became until at last he stopped in his tracks. Just the two of them stood in a clearing: a perfect circle of soft emerald, surrounded by a ring of blue and violet roses. _

_The man looked even more majestic up close then he did from a far. White leather draped his firm, lustrous form, and illuminated his golden, caramel skin. A silky trench-coat draped his shoulders; the tail of his coat blazed around him giving the allusion of white wings fluttering behind him. The hood of his trench coat hid the man's hair and face form view. _

_As if drawn by a force he didn't understand and couldn't describe, Yami stepped into the circle. The man stepped towards him. With each step he took, Yami's heart rate sped up. His eyes transfixed with the man in front of him. Crimson amethysts bore into the most beautiful blue eyes Yami had ever seen; the perfect balance between light and dark blue: cerulean, like sapphires kissed by the sun. Both orbs met his own flaming amethyst ones, enthralling him, as if piercing straight through his eyes and reading his heart, mind, and his very soul._

_The music playing around them blared from the stunning music box cupped in the man's hands. _

"_Join me…" He sang, before his lips curved into a smile. Yami's heart beat so fast he swore it would break free from his chest. The heat in his cheeks alerted him to the blush dusting his face. _

_He looked up to meet the taller man's gaze. _

_Never before, did he feel these strange new emotions filling him. It was as if everything in the world was just a dream of a dream and reality ceased to exist except for him and the man before him. Everything that connected him to the real world became tiny strings and each one snapped until only one was left, connecting him and the man before him. And not just one tiny string but a thousand steel cables._

"_In the Kingdom of Eternal Dreams…"the man leaned closer to him; his smooth hands cupped Yami's face, delicately rubbing his cheek. The sensation sent a shiver down Yami's spine. His body subconsciously moved closer as the man of his dreams lowered his lips to his…their lips parted ready to seal eternity in a single kiss…_

"_Be my angel and set me free…"_

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Yami jumped out of skin and stumbled into a heap on the floor. After untangling himself, Yami shook his head and found himself on the kitchen floor. His book lied open on the table and the chair he'd fallen asleep in tipped over when he stumbled. A loud knocking against the front door sent obnoxious vibrations through the entire house!

"DAMMIT!" Yami punched the floor in frustration. It took all his will power not to destroy everything within two feet of him.

It wasn't the first time he'd fallen asleep reading a book, but it _was _the closest he'd ever come to seeing his dream "lover"…or kissing him.

The obnoxious pounding on his front door only increased his furry. The furious teen stormed to his feet and stomped to the front door before unlocking it and throwing it open, intending to take his rage on the idiot foolish enough to wake him from such a wonderful dream. "WHAT!" Yami all but hollered.

Then his jaw hit the floor, out of shock more than anything else.

"Why hello Yami-darling," Rebecca flashed a seductive smirk, swaggering into the house. Rebecca's swagger wasn't in any was surprising; in fact Rebecca visited the Mouto home frequently in her attempts to either seduce Yami or bribe Atem into a marriage contract. The fact that she'd invited herself in wasn't a surprise either. Being the Duchess, she'd claimed it was her own right to be allowed in: refusal of her would be a direct insult and utter rudeness.

No, what shocked Yami to the core was that _this_ time, and only this time, Rebecca had arrive draped in nothing but a gorgeous, white-laced wedding dress!

Rebecca spun around sending the wisps of lace fluttering around her. She looked stunning: her hair cascading down her back in lustrous golden waves, her emerald eyes framed by black khol making them brighter, her lips and cheeks cheery red, and done with a perfect blush. Her dress was a resplendent white covering her entire body in silk. Bell-sleeves hugged her slender arms and flared at her wrist, embroidered with lace flowers and vines. A similar pattern interwove the lace covering her bosom and corset, and flared over the multiple layers of silk and satin skirts. The final touch was the white mesh veil, embroidered with flowers and vines, draped over her head and hair; it flared all the way down her front dangling from a circlet of white roses.

At first Yami was too shocked to say anything, but once his head cleared enough to think straight, he turned to the woman, glaring. "Rebecca…" He kept his voice civil solely out of respect for his deceased relatives. "What a pleasant surprise," the words rolled like poison off his tongue.

Misinterpreting this as a sign of approval, Rebecca smiled a smile that curled at the corners. "I'm sure." She brushed up against him, leaning in close, causing Yami to take a step back. Her eyes flashed like a siren about to seduce its prey. It was a miracle of Yami's will that he hadn't already thrown the girl out of the house.

He exhaled a breath when Rebecca pulled back and looked around his home; her eyes sighed with disapproval. "Why do you live in this God forsaken house, Yami? It's so…so…small and plain, and it's in the middle of the woods?" the girl complained.

Yami clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, his face red with rage. "I rather enjoy my house, actually. It's more than enough room for me, Atem, and Yugi; and we actually quite enjoy the walk to town and the woods. Atem finds it quite inspirational." He answered, doing his best to keep his voice civil.

"I wasn't asking if you tolerated it." Rebecca snapped, strolling towards him again. "I was saying…" she began until she caught her reflection in the hallway mirror. She stopped and smirked at the beautiful goddess in the mirror, and ran her delicate hand through the silky blond locks beneath her veil.

Yami snorted in disgust. _Her mind is as shallow as a summer puddle; no questions asked._

Once the Duchess was finished entertaining herself, she strolled back to Yami in that seductive swagger he was beginning to hate more and more. "I wasn't asking if you could tolerate it, darling," she brushed against him causing him to take a long step backwards. "I simply meant that you _deserve _more. Surely, you've always _dreamed_ of something better than this?"

A raised eyebrow marred Yami's face. _I dream of getting out of this rat hole and of what I can learn, where I can go, and what I can see, not what _house_ I live in. Why would I need a house anyway?_ It took all of Yami's will power not to roll his eyes. Only Rebecca would care for something so frivolous. "And what exactly do I deserve, Rebecca?" he demanded, expressionlessly, crossing the room to return to the kitchen

Rebecca's smile curled, taking a step towards Yami. "You, my darling, deserve the best and only the best…."

"And what is that." Yami's neutral mask refused to fade, even as he closed _The Dragon King._

"A grand, beautiful home filled to brim with treasures and endless elegant rooms." Rebecca swooned, brushing up against him again. Yami stepped back; Rebecca stepped forward. "A high title and position worthy of your status, the respect and admiration of all the people around you, a house full of servants to wait on you hand and foot and, of course…" Her fingers danced up his chest, making him shiver in horror. Yami gripped the table, resisting the urge to grab the girl in front of him by the shoulders and throw her out the window. Respect for his family forced his temper under control.

"Above all…you need a woman: someone beautiful, educated, well-respected, highly thought of, someone who's known you your entire life; to ravish you each and every night and spoil you with whatever you're heart desires…"

Yami swore his skin turned green when she said ravish; he couldn't even concentrate on the rest. By some miracle, he managed to hold his stomach and worm his way out of her grasp, unable to listen to her ridiculous delusion of his wishes anymore. _Of all the selfish…_again his gift of words failed him, unable to find a world revolting enough to describe the spoiled and selfish dream world Rebecca was creating.

"And you know who that woman would be, Yami dear?" she cut him off when he escaped into the hall way.

"I can't even imagine." He retorted, not even trying to hide the sarcasm in his voice.

"_Me, _darling…" Rebecca said gleefully, in a voice so giddy, it would make even the strongest of men, sick to their stomachs. "And all it takes…is one little questions…" she pushed herself up against him, as he skillfully backed up until he felt his back hit the front door.

"Rebecca, are you asking me what I _think _you're asking me?" Yami's almost bulged out of his skull in a mixture of anger, shock, and disbelief.

"_I'm _not asking anything!" Rebecca's eyes soon turned dangerous with impatience. She braced her arms on either side of him trapping him between her and the front door, and never in his life had Yami cursed his short status more than he did then. "_You_; however, _will _ask me what you _should _have asked me _years_ ago. Now, Yami, ask me to marry you!" Her eyes lowered seductively, as she moved her face closer, not noticing Yami's freehand wrap around the door knob.

"I do have something I want to tell you." Yami smirked, feeling morally obligated to all humankind for the good deed he was about to do. Smirking victoriously, Rebecca closed her eyes and leaned forward waiting for Yami's lips to meet hers…

"OVER MY ROTTING CARCUS!"

A sharp turn of the door knob and swift dodge to the left by Yami, and Rebecca was so overcome by surprise, she screamed when she stumbled through the door and straight into the mud that had been acuminating after last night's storm.

The band roared to life, until a series of collective gasps filled the air.

Yami felt his jaw drop. The entire town stood on his front lawn dressed in tuxes and ball gowns. A gazebo, decorated in white roses and vines with a priest holding a bible standing beneath it, stood at the edge of the property. A red carpet led from the gazebo to a few feet from the mud where Rebecca landed. All the eyes of the residents were glued to either Rebecca in the mud or Yami. A few men glared at him with jealously, while some of the girls were in tears. Even a large wedding cake had been placed on a cloth covered table, surrounded by crystal goblets filled with crimson liquid.

Did she…

Had she…

She had actually…

"You arranged an entire wedding behind my back?" Yami growled shaking with pure and absolute furry; all control vanished in a single instant. Furious crimson eyes bore into Rebecca like pools of hellfire: "Get. This. Through. Your skull. _Rebecca_." He spat her name as if it were poison. "I. Will. NEVER. EVER, marry you! Not if hell froze over, the sun burnt out, the earth stopped spinning, or you were the last living thing on the planet with a pulse! Now. Get. Off. My property and God help you if you come back!"

He slammed the door shut, sending the entire town into shock. Rebecca's screams of furry was the last thing he heard before he bolted through the house and out the back. He crashed into the side of the deck, panting uncontrollably. Shock, anger, disgust, mortification, and a landslide of other emotions burned through his veins all at once, consuming him and making it impossible to think straight.

"She…she…she asked me…" He couldn't even speak coherently, or even say the word. The very realization was too horrific for his mind to comprehend.

He knew full well what Rebecca wanted, but the woman lived and breathed propriety, and propriety dictated the _man_ ask permission of the parents first then ask the woman to marry him. Rebecca was not bold enough to defy the traditions that dictated her place in society, only because they gave her all the power she wanted. She'd dropped hints, made advances and whatever else to persuade Yami to pop the question, but _never _has she shown up at his house _demanding _he propose to her. The fact she'd arrived in a wedding dress and had the entire town outside his front door as if expecting him to marry her that second was even worse!

"ME! The husband of that pompous bore! ME!" He screamed, jumping over the railing of the deck and bolted across the yard, so fast, the fields vanished under him and the trees were a blur.

He didn't stop; he refused to.

It wasn't until he found himself skidding in the dirt, barely stopping in front of the pond and falling back into a bed of white and yellow daisies and dandelions in their cotton form, that he finally calmed himself down enough to think.

Yami panted like he ran a marathon. The blood still accumulated in his face, but his color was still pale green. Tears streaked his cheeks, purely from shock more than anything else.

"What is wrong with them!" He grabbed his head and screamed as loud of he could in frustration, but only because he knew this far from town no one could hear him.

He didn't feel better once he stopped. He felt embarrassed.

Still, he fell back against the field and calmed himself down, wishing more than ever he'd given in to Yugi's demands.

Once he's calmed down, he sat up, bunched is knees against his chest, and buried his face in his hands. "What is wrong with them…?" He asked no one in particular in a sullen voice. "I want out of this God forsaken dirt farm not to be trapped in it and making babies with that girl until I croak!"

He knew. He always had. He _knew_ no one in this rotten place would even accept, or see him as anything other than what they wanted him to be. They only saw him as part of their perfect unspoken plan. No one cared about his wishes or what he wanted; they only cared about how he fit into their provincial grand design. He knew that would be the case since the day he arrived, but still…it hurt. More than anything, it hurt. How could it not when everyone around you drills and hammers it into your skull that who you are and everything about you is wrong?

Yami whipped the tears from his cheeks, refusing to cry or shed a single tear for the rotten town he'd been forced to call home. He couldn't even begin to imagine how much Arthur Hawkins was writhing in his grave for what his granddaughter did to the place. Or who much his parents were kicking themselves for leaving the boys there to fend for themselves.

"I'm getting out of here!" Yami declared, his fists clenching so hard they created half crescents in his palms. "I don't care how I do it or when; I'm getting out of this place, and I'm never coming back!"

His hand soon discovered a stem and, despite his anger, he turned to it. A dandelion stood there; its cottony seeds in full bloom, ready to be swept away by the wind. A childish game of making wishes and blowing on dandelions flashed in Yami's mind. He carefully picked the stem and twirled the cottony blossom in his hand. It was a silly thing to do, really, but at that moment it seemed right.

"I wish for someone to understand me; someone who will love me for who I am and nothing less." He wished before taking a large intake of breath and releasing it over the seeds. The cottony seeds dispersed in an instant sending strands fluttering into the distances, carrying with them the fragments of his deepest wish.

A high-pitched cry broke his serenity; Yami's eyes widened in recognition. Sitting up, his fears were confirmed when a black dash charged straight for him.

"Phantom!" Yami was on his feet in a second; he bolted to the half-wild stallion. Phantom skid to a stop, clearly not wanting to hurt his master, the cavern rolled and jolted forward then back in response.

Yami grabbed the reigns and stroked the ebony stallion's neck and mane, speaking soothing words until the horse was calmed. Phantom's intelligent black eyes regarded Yami's sadly. Yami's heart plummeted when he noticed the horse was absent its rider and no one was inside or on the caravan.

Panic swept through Yami as the turned to the stallion, with terrified eyes. "Phantom, where…where are Atem and Yugi? Did you lose them? Are they hurt?"

Understanding the boy's panicked question, Phantom neighed loudly before gesturing his head back towards the forest. Taking in the boy's bewildered look, the horse tried to move as far as the caravan would allow towards the path he'd come from as if telling him to follow. Understanding what the horse was saying, Yami's eyes widened.

His hands grabbed the reigns tying Phantom to the caravan and he viciously untied the knots and set it on the floor. He bolted across the field, charged into the house, and grabbed his burgundy trench coat off the hook and threw it on over a long-sleeved red shirt, black vest and black pant; pulled on his riding boots and grabbed the scarlet cloak his mother made him, and threw it while running back outside. Phantom, waited for him at the deck, and gestured for Yami to climb on.

Once the rider was settled, with a flick of the reigns the horse took off like black dash. Determination fired Yami's blood at the thought of the only family he had left lost in the woods, alone and without help.

The townspeople made no effort to hide their superstitions and fears when it came to the vast, frightening woods. Mahad had once explained to him many of the residents believed the stories of a cursed family who used to rule these very lands over a century ago, before a dark wizard cursed them for overthrowing the previous tyrants. Mahad, of course, told those stories as an effort to convince people that stories were meant to entertain and not believe, but the superstitious residents of Hawkins Manor believed them none the less. Even Yami's grandfather, warned the boys never to venture too deep into the woods.

"Go Phantom!" Yami commanded, weaving his hands in the reigns. "Run as fast you can!"

*

Detecting the urgency in his Master's voice gave Phantom the sudden burst of speed he needed until the horse found himself in a familiar forest clearing. Sunlight had dipped beneath the trees lighting the darkness of the forest with an orange and violet glow.

"Is this the place?" Yami asked the horse. Phantom nodded and neighed in response. Heaving himself over Phantom's side, Yami slid down from the saddle and look around. Phantom sniffed the ground for any traces of his two missing master's but the storm had washed away most of the trail: footprints, indents anything to indicate the direction his brothers went was covered by rivers of mud and a carpet of leaves.

"Dammit." Yami swore, bending down to examine the ground. The rain washed a mountain of mud over the area, burying any traces of footprints that might have been left behind. Crimson eyes meticulously scanned the forest floor, for any clues as to what happened, until he finally left the road, and searched the underbrush. His hand suddenly found something, smooth and tough like leather.

With a flutter of hope, Yami gripped the cloth and ripped it free from the shrubs and mud accumulating on top of it and shook it open. He recognized the violet material, instantly. "Shit!" he snapped, clutching Yugi's coat so hard his knuckles turned white.

"They were here, Phantom." Yami addressed the stallion. "And if I know Atem, if they're lost in a storm the first thing going through his mind is finding shelter, especially if Yugi's hurt."

The horse nodded in agreement, before sniffing the ground again. Slowly, he started to walk, following whatever was left of the scent. Yami followed, searching for any sign as to which direction his sibling's must've gone.

A loud neigh bolted Yami from his thoughts. Phantom grabbed his cloak with his teeth and pulled the bewildered teen toward another path in the woods, before gesturing his head to the path. It was different from the others; unlike the dirt paths caked with mud and overgrown with plants, this one was smoothed and made of fine cobblestones, plants and weeds dotted it but the ground remained in place, held by the plants and the cobble. And that was when Yami saw them: foot prints made from finely crafted leather boots, sinking thickly in the mud, symbolizing the owner was carrying some extra weight when the prints were made.

"Phantom, you are brilliant!" Yami hugged the horse's neck, before climbing back on. With a snap of the reigns the horse took off, following the path and the prints deeper and deeper into the woods, until at last the woods came to an abrupt end.

The path lead through and enormous grotesque gate of rusted black iron standing so profoundly, it was like a portal to another dimension. A cloak of rich ebony lied past the gates on the side of the road where its owner must've collapsed.

"Atem!" Yami dismounted gracefully, pulling Phantom's reigns, until his fingers intertwined with the bars of the gate. His brothers were there: they had to be. His eyes followed the path all the way to the end.

Crimson eyes bulged in stunned mystification.

"It can't be…" Yami's voice was barely above a whisper. Shock, mystification and disbelief reeled through his entire being. His eyes went wide and his mouth dropped in an O of surprise. "That's…That's…that's not possible."

* * *

XD Cliffhanger...aren't I just evil? Any guesses on what it is Yami found? Come on guess, I wanna know you're theories.

Anyway, I apologize if Yami seems a tad out of character in this, I tried my damnest to make Yami;'s reaction to Rebecca's plan as in character as possible,. I had that whole sections planned, and I didnt want Yami's reaction to be the same as Belle's or Rebecca's scheme the same as Gaston's. this isn MY story and these are different characters ans the last ting i wanted to do was stable The movie/fairy tale's personalities on these character. I'll leave it up to you guys to decide if i did a good Job with Ymai;s character or not.

I perosnally found it appropriate given the situation. Also, Phantom Returns, and to everyone who was wondering how they were gonna find Atem and Yugi after Phantom ran off, I hope this is realistic enough for you.

As always read, review, critique, comment and ask whatever you like.

Next time: Chapter Five: The Master's Bargin: YAmi finds his brothers, but they're trapped in the merciless grip of the one person Yami NEVER expected, and he'll make the ultimate sacrifice for his brothers' freedom.


	6. Chapter 5: The Master's Bargin

Oh my Gosh! I can't believe how fats i got this up!!

I had the second half of this chapter written MONTHS ago! No joke! I typed up the second half back in January, when my laptop broke and I was forced to type everything up at the computer lab. This is the chapter that started this entire fanfic: and this is the result of doing nothing but watching an Atem and Seto music video on Youtube, to Breathe by Breaking Benjamin for a week straight (no joke I actually did that!)

I am SO proud of this chapter and how it came out! The beginning was actually easy to do once i had the idea even the parts with the servants was easy! I got it typed up and edited it. It also helps that writing calms me down so it also helped with the stress I was going through last weak, but I'm fine now. XD This is my FAVORITE Chapter of Dragon Rose so far.

As always, read, review, critique, comment ask questions and send me your theories: also, they're something VERY important about Seto that's hinted in the story in this chapter, it was hinted in chapter 3 but its much clearer in this chap, anyone who can guess what it is gets a sneak peek, of the next chap which I've already got typed: here's a hint its a characteristic.

**Disclaimer**: As always, I own nothing but the idea. Yu-Gi-Oh, Yu-Gi-oh GX and all its characters are the proud creations of Kazuki Takahashi and I adore and respect him too much to claim them as my own. The Fairy tale beauty and the beats belongs to whoever wrote it, and movie references or scenes based on the movie were inspired by the Disney movie Beauty and the Beast, meaning it belongs to Disney. I do own the castle, and any ideas not seen in either the fairy tale or the movie.

* * *

Chapter 5: The Master's Bargain

Yami's eyes remained transfixed on the huge castle before him. The profound structure stood dark, curved and magnificent with an unearthly quality that invited doom, but drew unwary travelers to it like ships to a beacon in a fierce storm. The two towers boarding the main castle and the multiple spikes, towers and spires created a jagged line against the sky. Every gargoyle, every Tracy window, every arch and balcony, even the glass house entrance: a perfect mirror of the castle in Yami's mind.

"This is…" The words died in Yami's throat; his hands gripped the iron bars of gate so hard the rust of the iron dug into his hands. The only difference between the two castles was this one was dark and foreboding, while the one he was used to was white and rich with life. "This place was only supposed to be a dream! It can't exist." He tried to tell himself and yet there it was: a perfect dark, mirror-image of the castle he saw every time he closed his eyes.

This was the place his brothers were trapped?

Shaking his head free of the trance once his gaze fell back on Atem's cloak, Yami released his grip on the gate then took a few steps back. With a mighty kick the gates swung open with a loud creek. "Come on Phantom," Yami called, but the second his foot stepped through the gates a chill ran through his body, either from coldness or fear, he knew not.

Phantom followed, though was much more cautious in his steps and a look of trepidation in his eyes.

_Great. _Yami scowled to himself. _Even the horse thinks coming here is a bad idea._ But he ignored his own apprehensions and bolted to the entrance. "Stay here." He told Phantom, before cautious climbing up marble steps. He approached the massive ornate doors of the enormous castle, cautiously. The decoration was more lavish than any Yami had seen; he couldn't even begin to imagine what is must've been like centuries prior without age and weather to wither its contents.

Swallowing a lump of hesitation, he pulled on the lion head door knockers. The doors open just as the gate did, and once again, the second he stepped through the doors it was like he'd entered another world.

Despite the castle's outwardly withered appearance, the inside was nothing short of magnificent. With slight hesitation in his step, the teen took a step down the stunning red carpet. Walls of glass lined both sides of him, hazy from years of neglect and caked with dust. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, shimmering with rainbow prisms. He could only imagine how lovely the crystals and glass looked in the sunlight. Again, he came to another set of enormous ornate doors, much nicer and more elaborate than the ones outside. Vines and roses were elegantly carved into the fine oak wood, convoluting and climbing up the sides of the door and surrounding the stunning carving of what looked like an enormous dragon.

Feeling a sense of déjà-vu, Yami shook his head again, forcing himself to stay focused. The doors flung open with a mighty shove and again he found himself with in the depths of the castle. His eyes widened in shock. He'd never imagined the inside of place, nor had he'd ever dreamed it, but even he agreed it was far more magnificent than he could've possibly imagined.

The front hall alone was huge and alight with enormous iron and crystal chandeliers filled with burning wax candles. Brass candle holders lined the inner hallway; the small candle flames bathed the entire front entrance in a pale crimson and ocher glow. A majestic marble staircase spiraled in one direction leading above the first staircase to what looked like a balcony-hallway. The hallways were like crystal-lined marble chambers that led here, there, and nowhere.

The ceiling seemed to go up and on forever like a giant cathedral. The chains holding the chandeliers vanished in the darkness. Gargoyles and statues embedded in the huge walls, above him in scattered locations. The darkness and years of dust draped the entire castle in an eerie atmosphere, but the history of the castle itself spoke more than a hundred ancient tomes.

"Hello!" Yami called, hearing his baritone voice echo against the empty hallways. "Does anybody live here? Hello!" he called again. His own voice boomed around him, the only drop of sound among the room of silence. "I'm looking for my brothers! Hello!" he tried a third time.

Still no answer.

Confident that the castle was, indeed, abandoned he turned to the left towards the first corridor and called and called Atem and Yugi's names, unable to shake the feeling that someone was watching him in the main hallway.

*

"What on earth were you and Syrus thinking, Jaden?" The white-haired spirit sighed in disappointment, his voice rich with a native British accent. Said boy was currently lying on his back, atop the dining room table, since it hadn't been used in well over a century. One leg bunched up, the other lying straight.

"I know! I know! I'm sorry!" Jaden's apologized but the sound was muffled by his hands covering his face. He sat up and braced himself on his arms. "Look me in the eye, Ryou, and tell me you could've left them freezing to death in the middle of a storm?"

Jaden's hard chocolate orbs met Ryou's brilliant emeralds. Ryou sighed, running a pale, elegant hand through his silky, mane of white tresses, cascading down his back in flat spikes. His jeweled eyes glowed against his white, transparent skin with force.

With his white hair, white skin, jeweled eyes and draped in white and silver, he looked in every inch an angel. The white and black wings he adorned in his spirit form only added to the assumption. Even long before he'd come to the castle, it was rare a single dark though filled his mind or he wished malice on anyone—even the ones who'd made his life hell for a good few years before he's finally found his freedom. The very thought of him leaving two innocents alone to fend for themselves and being able to cope with such a choice was nothing short of laughable.

"No, I couldn't even if I wished to." He sighed, turning his tea cup in his hands.

Jaden slid off the table, and gulped down his cold tea in one gulp, hoping the mixture would ease the stress barraging his mind. Sadly, it did nothing. "The Master shouldn't have been so harsh though. If he'd only given me two seconds to explain…" the teen gripped the table, so hard his translucent nails dug into the wood.

Rising to his feet, Ryou placed and comforting hand on Jaden's shoulder. He knew Jaden blamed himself for what happened the previous night, and felt insanely guilty. "I won't deny his decision was and is a dreadful mistake, but you know he has his reasons. He suffers more a day then any of us could ever understand."

Jaden collapsed in a chair, and crossed his arms. "Doesn't mean he has to be so harsh!"

"I warned you." Chazz snapped. "Didn't I warn you? I told you he'd react that way!" The boy ran hands through his smoky black spikes and gripped the locks tightly. "What were you thinking, Jaden! Bringing them inside is one thing, but what were you thinking: changing their clothes, letting them sleep on the master's favorite couch, play with Syrus…" Chazz ranted, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Well, excuse me for trying to be hospitable!" Jaden retorted.

Ryou sighed in annoyance, doing his best to tune out the two boy's argument, if only for his own sake and sanity.

*

Zane had already finished speaking with the seamstresses by the time Syrus burst into the room, wild with exuberance. The seamstress was in her true form, a stunning woman with elegant waves of blond hair cascading down to her hips, soft white skin draped in a violet, skirt and strapless white lace corset. Her stunning sharp violet eyes radiated fierce independence, but softened when she saw Syrus; she always had a soft spot for the younger members of the staff.

"Where are you of to in such a rush, hun?" she asked, sweetly.

"Mai, Zane, you're not gonna believe this!" Syrus practically bounced with excitement. "There's a boy in the castle!"

"We're aware of that, Syrus; they're both in the tower." Zane responded, without taking his eyes off the clipboard.

"Not them, Zane!" Syrus corrected. "There's another boy in the castle! He's here looking for them!"

"Are you sure?" Mai, the seamstress, asked, eyes wide with surprise.

"I'm positive!" Syrus promised.

"That's enough, Syrus!" Zane scolded. "We all have work to do including you; no time for stories."

"But Zane—" Syrus protested, but the Stewart would not hear a word of it.

"Enough Syrus," Before Zane could say another world, another servant burst into the room with a wide giddy grin!

Mai jumped in surprise. "Joseph! You'll give a woman a heart attack!" she scolded her husband. Though Mai and Joseph were the same age, Joey always acted so much younger, and his sporadic mane of golden blond hair, playful chocolate eyes and lighthearted smile played well into his boyish charm; a charm Mai simply adored.

"What is it, Joseph?" Zane asked, sternly, clearly not in the mood for any more surprises since the previous night.

"D'ERE'S A BOY IN THE CASTLE! AN ACTUAL BOY!" Joey almost burst with happiness. Mai's jaw hit the floor. Zane's eyes bulged out of his skull.

Syrus glared at his older brother when Zane met Sy'a face, a glare and a wide smirk that screamed "I told you so!"

*

Ryou's transparent hand clenched the tea cup and plate so hard, had he been completely solid, it would've shattered. He grit his teeth and closed his eyes in frustration, unable to decided if he should yell at the two arguing boys in front of him or drag them upstairs by their ears.

"I don't care if the Master is being unfair, that's already been established! Fact is you put them in danger!" Chazz accused.

"Well excuse me for trying to be nice!" Jaden retorted meeting the boy's stormy gaze.

"Figures, the first two people to enter this God forsaken place in _a hundred _years, and we get them imprisoned in a tower for the rest of their lives!" Chazz turned away ripping at his hair in frustration.

Jaden growled in anger.

Ryou slammed the cup down on the table. "Silence the both of you!" He scolded them both, causing both perpetual teens to turn their heads. They knew full well of the temper hidden behind Ryou's polite and meek appearance, but it was still a shock when it surfaced. "Bloody Hell, if you two do not refrain from arguing this very second, so help me God I will—"

"Temie?"

All three spirits froze and bolted towards the source of the voice, their anger forgotten. A flash of red passed the dining room entrance caused their eyes to bulge.

"Did you see that?" Jaden and Chazz met eyes before throwing themselves and gripping the side of the wall. They're eyes widened and their mouths gaped in shock.

"It's a boy!" Jaden announced.

"No," Chazz's retorted; his voice dripping with sarcasm. "What did you think he was? A cat?"

"Great Scotts, what is he doing here?" Ryou blinked in shock, bewilderment and worry.

"Ah!" A giddy smile crossed Jaden's face, and he started bouncing up and down in happiness! "I knew it! I knew it! Don't you see?" He explained dancing around a bewildered Chazz. "He's the one! The one we've been waiting for! The one who's going to break the spell!"

"Jaden," Chazz said extremely patiently and panicked, as if he were talking to an asylum patient. "We've been through this, you're optimizing again!" The frosty-skinned teen bolted after the bouncing bronze spirit.

"And it's paid off!" Jaden bounced before dashing to catch up to their guest.

"Wait a minute! Wait a minute!" Ryou called, then cried out in shock when a blue dash crashed into him and another dove over him.

"Sorry, Ryou!" Syrus, who was still in his human form, (1) apologized over his shoulder. Jesses bolted after his smaller friend in his monster form, before transforming back into his own spirit form without halting in his step.

"Wh-" before Ryou could voice a protest, several guests of wind bolted past him, sending him to the floor again. The first one came from a horse-sized, obsidian dragon with ruby eyes and a familiar, giddy grin; followed closely by a stunning woman in white with dramatically long magenta hair, pin straight, pale blue skin, pointed ears, talons for hands and feet and silvery-white, feathered wings growing from her arms. A faerie and a winged female knight followed closely behind her.

"Sorry, Ry, we're in a rush!" The black dragon, Joseph, called over his thick onyx wings.

"What the bloody hell is going on?" Ryou demanded, thundering to his feet.

"They're a boy in the castle!" The angel-winged female knight paused in mid-flight to respond, before following her brother and sister-in-law.

Ryou remained sitting on the floor, his jaw slacked in an improper fashion, and his eyes bulged with confusion. "Great Scotts, has every body lost their bloody minds?"

*

"Temie! Yugi! If you two are here, answer me!" Yami screeched, desperately. "Dammit!" he swore loudly, growing more and more worried. "Dammit, where are you two!" he clenched his trench coat harshly, feeling the leather grip his fingers.

A loud squeak screamed behind him, and Yami turned around in a flash. A wooden door with iron bolts, he hadn't noticed before, creaked open. Against his better judgment, Yami approached it, caution in each guarded step. "Who's there!" he demanded, fiercely.

He received no answer, but found himself in another chamber, that contrasted profoundly with the rest of the manor. The room closely resembled a tower entrance, but the stone was not made of marble like the rest of the manor. Instead, the inside was crafted of ordinary, corbelled stones, dyed black by the darkness. The light of an oil lamp on the wall faintly lit the room in a pale orange glow, barley illuminating the silhouette of the stone staircase spiraling to the top of the castle. Shadows danced in the corner, as if beckoning him to follow.

All critical thought told him to turn on his heels and go the other way, but the thought of his siblings possibly trapped in such a gruesome place, dramatically altered Yami's decision. Yami grabbed the lamp from its hook, and raised it above his head. A complete sphere of orange light surrounded him as he cautiously making his way up the stairs.

The tower walls felt dank and wet beneath his hands; the air was heavy with the rancid stench of mildew. Grime caked the walls in some places, while flecks of moss speckled enormous stone blocks in others. Huge blocks corbelled in the form of steps, built on top of the other in a spiral, so large it was like walking two steps at a time. Barley any space existed between the two walls except for the width of the staircase, causing the uneasy feeling of claustrophobia to creep up Yami's spine, but he forced it away.

Shadows danced in front of him, like small creatures struggling up the steps, but the second their shadows left his sight, they stopped, as if waiting for him to follow. Yami blinked at the strange shapes but shook his head to relieve his worry.

"Temie! Yugi!" He howled again, his baritone voice bouncing loudly against the stone of the tower, reflecting a harsh echo. Yami increased his speed as fast as he could up the enormous steps.

Once he reached the top he stopped and held his ground at the sound of panting. Once he made sure he had the advantage if anyone attacked him, he turned around and held up the bright lamp, only for his jaw to drop when he found three exhausted creatures on the floor.

*

The boys made it to the top of the staircase faster than expected. Both Jaden and Chazz faltered in mid flight, until they both collapsed to the ground. Their wings sore from such a long flight and their lungs panted desperately for air. Jesse crawled up the last of the steps, shaking and panting with the last of his strength before finally collapsing in a heap on the floor. None of them moved—or could even bring themselves to try to—when the loud footsteps of Yami's heavy boots charged up the stairs.

The three hissed at the brightness of Yami's lamp, but the boy barely notice, clearly to shocked at the sight of three creatures, he'd only read about in fairy tales, sitting at his feet.

Once Yami overcame his internal shock, the light and moonlight peeking through the windows told him he was in the topmost room of the tower. The stone blocks melded into a slate cone that seemed to go on forever like a giant cathedral. Windows form gaping holes all over the roof allowing moonlight to spill into the room.

Moonlight highlighted the iron bolts, locks, and bars upon the heavy wooden door on the other side of the room, clearly marking the tower as a dungeon. The dank smell of mold and grime hung in the air, creating a revolting stench. The floor was littered with straw and broken pieces of the wall. The light of Yami's lamp danced across the room, as he moved his hands to cover his mouth in a weak attempt to block out the stench.

The sound of crying froze him in place, followed by the soothing shushing sounds he knew by heart. "Keys!" Was the first thing that popped into Yami'd mind. He searched frantically for any signs of a key.

"There" A ragged voice panted out. Yami blinked in bewilderment, before turning to the three creatures on the floor. All three gestured to the side of the door. Yami eyes followed their hands, wings and tails until his eyes spied the keys on the hook. Practically leaping across the room, Yami clumsily snatched the keys from the hook and fiddled with each one until with a joyful click the lock came undone and Yami swung the door open.

Anger, relief and sheer joy bombarded him all at once.

Atem and Yugi sat on the floor of the dark, dank, rancid chamber, leaning beneath the only glass-less window in the room. Heavy manacles connected to about five feet of thick chains shackled their ankles to the wall. Both shivered from the freezing temperature, both the stone and the open window caused. The fact that neither had their coats helped, ease the chill

Both boys looked up in shock and slight fear when the door opened. Atem wrapped his arms securely around Yugi as the smaller boy cried in his chest and lap. Their eyes widened even more at the sight of, no their capturer, but their third sibling standing in the doorway.

"Yami!" Yugi cried out. Wasting no time Yami dashed over to them. The second his knees hit the floor, Yugi threw himself into his older brother's arms wrapping them rightly around Yami's waist, crying. Unable to do anything else but kneels there, Yami returned the gesture and stoked the little's one's bangs until he calmed down. "It is okay aibou, I got you." Yami promised, when Yugi calmed down enough to look at him.

The only one not smiling or emotional at the trio's reunion, which they both noticed, was Atem. Instead, the eldest Mouto looked furious, his ruby eyes burning with anger, fear and remorse and his entire body was shaking, like he didn't know whether to strangle his middle sibling or hug him until he burst. Finally, after many failed attempts to speak, he managed to choke out. "You should not have come here." It was directed at Yami, but the tone made Yugi clench his older brother tighter.

"What the hell does that mean?" Yami demanded honestly baffled. "You think I would just leave you two to rot?"

Atem didn't argue with him, instead he just grabbed the keys Yami dropped when Yugi hugged him and chucked them at him. "Listen to me: take Yugi, get out of here, go back to the town and _don't. Ever. Come back._" The elder teen's tone held no room for argument, but Yami was never one to follow orders.

"I am _not_ leaving either of you here." Yami declared, sternly.

"Dammit Yami, for once in your life, do what I tell you! You and Yugi have to get out of here before he gets back; if he finds you here he'll…"

"He already has!"

Yami froze as the chilling voice stiffened his spine. Yugi screamed and buried his face in the safety of Yami's chest and cloak, and Atem, for the first time in his life, was scared speechless. Even the three boys who Yami hadn't noticed were outside started shaking. All three boys: one with brown hair and bronze skin, the second with spiky black hair and white skin and the third with pale skin and a mop of aqua stresses; backed themselves against the wall, hiding.

Yami didn't turn around instead he got to his feet, holding Yugi securely in his arms, wrapped in his cloak, and held him tightly. He stood and turned around to face his brothers' capturer.

The man had hidden himself in the shadows, only his eyes were visible: two striking orbs of ice glowing unnaturally in the darkness. He watched as those eyes turned to the boys, shivering in the corner.

"Jesse" the voice commanded. "Go help Syrus." The aqua haired teen burst from the room and vanished down the stairs in less than a second. When his gaze met the remaining two, both boys swallowed loud lumps in their throats. "I'll deal with you two later." He stated before turning his frozen gaze to the three boys.

Yami felt a shiver run up his spine, when those frozen eyes fell on him, but he held his ground. "Who are you?" He demanded in a calm, unreadable voice.

"You're in no place to be making demands." The voice mocked, arrogantly. "But if you must know, I am the Master of this castle, and all within its walls."

"Are you the ones who kidnapped my brothers?" Yami demanded; his face a neutral mask and his eyes hard and unyielding.

"I've done nothing of the sort." The shadow removed itself from the wall and moved towards them without leaving the darkness, extremely cautious of the moonlight bathing Yami and his siblings. "You're brothers trespassed on my property and entered this castle without my permission; therefore, as the master I have the right to keep them both hear until I decide to let them leave, or until they perish, whichever comes first." He spoke in a harsh, arrogant tone.

"Trespassing doesn't warrant such a punishment." Yami thundered, clenching his free hand at his side. The shadow raised an eyebrow at the fierceness burning in those amethyst gems, clearly intrigued by the boy.

"It matters not; ignorance is not excuse for breaking the laws. If you wish to grant your older brother's request; however, I'll allow you take your youngest sibling home. Either way, _one_ of you is staying and not even your persistence will convince me otherwise." The shadow stated firmly.

Yami was about to retort until Yugi started coughing in his arms, he'd obviously been trying to hide it, but the loud choking coughs and heavy pants alerted everyone in the room to his condition. In a second, Yami's expression went from fury to fear as he fell to his knees and rearranged the smaller boy in his arms, just in time for the boy to release the worst coughing fit even the Master of the castle had ever heard.

"Dammit" Yami punched the floor.

"He can't stay here, Yami, he'll only get sicker." Atem explained, lying Yugi down in his lap, as the boy tried desperately to replenish his lungs.

"What's wrong with him?" The Master asked taking a step forward, but Yami was on his feet in front of his brothers before he could get any closer. "Yugi was born with an alignment of the chest (2)." He explained. "The doctor said it should work itself out as he gets older, but whenever he has an attack it has to be controlled or he could get worse. It starts with coughing but then he can't breathe; the last time he had one his heart almost stopped beating!"

"Then give him his medicine." The master said bluntly.

"I don't have it." Yami retorted before turning to his older brother. "Where is it? I know you packed some when you two left, I checked three times."

Atem bit his lip "We did have it, but…it was in the carriage."

Yami mentally swore. The carriage! The carriage _he_ untied from Phantom's reigns before they rode into the woods. "Shit!" Swallowing his pride, Yami turned back to the master, his bangs shadowing his eyes. "Yugi can't stay here; he'll die if he does."

"Then take him back to your town." The master ordered. "I won't stop you. I already said only one of you has to stay."

"I'm not leaving Atem here either." Yami said firmly.

The master raised another eyebrow, stepping closer, making his silhouette and eyes visible but nothing more. "Then what would you propose, I do?" he interrogated turning to the small boy, shaking in his older sibling's arms. He doubted Yugi truly was as sick as his brothers feared, but something had to be done about that vicious cough. And Fast. But first, he wanted to see how the youth in front of him would react.

His icy eyes fell back on Yami, whose face was hidden behind the veil of golden bangs. This one intrigued him, challenged him with no fear; met him blow for blow with a spirit that refused to break, and a fierce independence. Even now, despite his obvious fear for his younger brother's life, his older brother's freedom, and his anger at himself; the boy refused to show any sign of weakness. _Just like a cat_. The Master mused. How interesting it was to see just how far that spirit would go, as the master watched the crimson eyed teen calculate a plan in his head.

"How about a deal?" Yami said at last, lifting his head to meet the Master's eyes. Blazing crimson, the perfect mesh of Yugi's deep violet and Atem's bright ruby, burning with all the fire the master loved, bore into his orbs of icy blue.

The master raised an eyebrow, curious. "I'm listening."

"You said _one_ of us has to stay here, right? But you never specified who."

The Master's brightened curiously; a smile slowly creeping across his face. "I don't believe I did." Yami wanted to snarl at the arrogance in his voice.

Atem must've figured out where Yami was going because he stiffened and protested immediately, but Yami ignored him. "Yami…"

"Then how about this: you let Yugi and Atem return to the village and never bother either of them again. No imprisonment, no nothing." Yami bargained, not a glimmer of doubt or hesitation in his eyes.

"You're terms are steep, little kitten." The Master circled him, keeping in the shadows. Yami stood his ground. The master was testing him, looking for any sign of weakness, like a shark searching for its prey's weak spot before making the killing blow. "I assume you're willing to offer me something just as valuable in return?"

"No." He said bluntly. "Nowhere near as valuable but it's all I have got to bargain with." Yami chuckled darkly.

"Very well, but I can't agree unless I know what it is you are offering me, kitten?" Yami shivered when he felt a claw-like hand brush one of his bangs behind his ear. He already knew what Yami was going to say, the Master just wanted to hear _him _say it.

"You promise to let them go, no tricks, not double-cross, no loopholes, not nothing and…" Yami almost choked "you can have me, instead"

"YAMI NO!"

"That is an awfully steep sacrifice, kitten." He could hear the smirk in the Master's voice. "You know you'd be giving up everything. You'd be trapped here until I decide to let you leave. You'd never see your brothers or your home again…"

"It'd be worth it." Yami said immediately.

"But that's not all." The master continued. "You cannot be confined…" A clawed hand tugged on Yami's wrist pulling him into the shadows despite his struggle, while the opposite held his chin forcing him to meet the Master's eyes. "I saw it the moment I first laid eyes on you: you're a spirit as wild as an untamed falcon; a wildfire that burns vigorously with freedom. If you agree to this, you'd be throwing all that away; you'd never be free again. You'd be confined to this castle and the grounds, or…if I ordered it." He released him and swooped around him like a shadow, whispering darkly in the younger's ear. "This very room."

It was a miracle of Yami's will that he managed to not shiver when he felt those cold, scaly, clawed hands firmly grasp his shoulders.

He was testing him. Yami knew it. Testing his weakness, and exploiting everything he loved, knowing full well he was requiring the teen to sacrifice _everything_ while he, in turn, lost nothing. Waiting for him to weaken and refuse. Waiting for him to break.

Clenching his fists as his side, Yami closed his eyes forgetting his own desires and focusing solely on his brothers. Yugi needed his medicine, that was his first priority and he needed Atem to take care of him. That was how it had always been: Yami would take care of Yugi, but Atem would take care of them both; financially and fraternally. Even more important they'd both be safe, free from this nightmarish king and his dark stone prison, and all it would coast him was everything he ever loved and cared for.

The choice couldn't be more transparent.

"Let me see you." Yami whispered, without turning around.

"What!?" the Master released his shoulders and roared.

"No disrespect." Yami explained. "I just wish to see who it is I'm signing my life away to before I tell you my decision." It wouldn't matter either way, but if this Master thought he could keep Yami in the dark, forever, he was mistaken.

"Swear to me you won't scream." Was all he said.

Yami nodded and braced himself for the worst as the Master stepped into the moonlight. Immediately, Yami looked up and God did his mind rebel him. For all his arrogance and selfishness and harsh deeds, the Master was a breathtaking creature.

He was human, yet at the same time he wasn't. The Dragon King fit the title perfectly; he wasn't human or a dragon, but both. He stood six feet tall, towering over Yami. A neat mop of chestnut hair adorned his head revealing two pointed fin-like ears frizzed like a dragon's. His sharp features were angled like chiseled marble; his dragon fangs glittered pristine white in the moonlight, protruding from his upper lip, visible when he smirked thought his face betrayed no emotion.

His human body stood firmly, perfectly lean, muscled and proportioned with no visible flaws or imperfections. Perfect caramel skin pulled over smooth muscles and tight abs, but instead of a human skin, a clutter of silvery-blue scales formed a spike at both his elbows to his wrists. Smooth dragon scales glittered so close together they looked like armor at first glance. Dragon skin glistened, a cross between silver and the faintest of blues, down his arms. His hands were muscled and scaled like a dragons. Sharp, pristine white claws that could easily rip him to shreds, replaced his fingers. Yami shivered remembering them on his shoulders and holding his chin not a few moments ago.

On each of his upper arms silvery-blue tattoos of a flying dragon, curled in its wings, decorated the caramel skin. Sprouting from his shoulders were three feather-like fins like small wings, one of them curled in front of his chest revealing a white spike at the joint. Just below his back from both his shoulder-wings, they appeared: two enormous dragon wings as big as he was: membraned and muscled, like a cross between a bat and a bird; topped with a small white spike, but stronger and more powerful, like they could consume him in their leathery grasp; and glowing the same rich silvery blue as his scales.

Unable to control his body anymore, Yami scanned the rest of the Master's body. His torso was covered by a sleeveless, ice-blue turtle neck trench coat trimmed with gold and closed in the front allowing the gravity-defining tail to sway around his legs like his wings. Silver flying dragons with sapphire eyes of all sizes and shapes decorated the trench coat and his torso.

Behind him, Yami could see a large, muscled tail, glistening with icy-blue scales, moved on its own accord, boasting its power; the end curled like a whip. Moving his eyes from the lethal abdomen, Yami scanned down the Master's legs and feet: blue pants decorated with silver dragons tightly hugged the sculpted legs leaving little to the imagination. More scaled armor covered his legs from the knees down, forming a pair of boot-like dragon legs resembling his claws, but with stronger paws and shorter nails. (3)

"Well?" the Master thundered, forcing Yami's gaze to return to those eyes. Immediately he was trapped by the paralyzing gaze of those sharp frosty-sapphire orbs speckled with flecks of silver with only black slits for pupils.

Dragon claws, dragon scales, dragon wings, dragon eye: immediately Yami knew where they were, who the Master was and what was happening and the realization made him dizzy and unable to move. _Don't faint, Yami! Don't you DARE faint!_

"You're Seto Kaiba, the Dragon King."

Surprise suddenly filled the dragon's eyes, as if shocked someone knew who he was without having to explain his disastrous past. But as quickly as it appeared, a smirk replaced it. _Beauty, fire _and _brains: oh yes, he truly _is _a gem._

"That is correct, kitten." Seto's smirk widened, but his eyes bore into Yami's with no emotion, noticing Yami's fierce resistance as he tried desperately not to shake or show fear—or desire. "What do you say now, Kitten?" Seto commanded, seductively. His claws danced under Yami's chin making him whimper slightly. "Do we have an agreement?" He commanded trying to intimidate him, but still even when he knew he was vanquished, Yami refused to show any weakness.

"Yami no!" Yugi pleaded, through another violet cough.

Yami chocked a whisper. "You have my word."

"Done!" Kaiba roared releasing the teen and ordering the servants at the door to release the two boys.

Unable to hold himself up any longer, Yami's knees give way and he collapsed to the floor, closing his eyes and buried his face in his hands to keep tears from falling.

The second Jaden and Chazz undid their chains, Yugi threw his arms around his older brother crying, pleading with him to come back, but all Yami could do was hold him. He felt Atem hug his shoulders, not saying a word, knowing nothing he said would change Yami's mind. "Dammit, Yami."

He didn't have time for anything else; Seto grabbed the back of his cloak, and hollered for two other servants and through him to the two guardsmen. "Marik, Otagi. Take them back to the village." Seto commanded before turning back to Yugi and Yami on the floor. "Time to go, little one." He said in a more civil voice.

"NO! Yami has to come too!" Yugi screamed, clenching Yami tighter.

"It's alright, Yugi. I'll be fine, just go with Temie, alright?" Yami forced a smile but Yugi saw right through it and just continued to cry.

Sighing, Seto snatched the smaller away from Yami and—with a little more care—handed him to Marik despite Yugi's struggling and coughing. "Get them there as fast as you can, and make sure he gets his medicine." Seto order the two monster spirits, before pointing to Yugi. The two nodded and left, dragging the two boys with them, looks of remorse on their face as they tried to block out the pleads and cries coming from all three siblings.

Yami made a mad dash for the door but Seto already locked it. Wrestling with the door and screaming at the top of his lungs, before he gave up. Yami sprinted to the window and clenched the stone windowsill looking for the spiky black and sandy haired guards.

He finally found them, but could barely see them from the tower prison. He could see both his brothers fighting with them, as the guards clenched Atem and Yugi in their arms and took to the sky, making sure they couldn't find their way back. His heart shattered when he saw Yugi, crying and screaming and shouting his full name; he was so scared. But he possessed no fear for himself or Atem or even of Seto. No, his fear was a direct result of his beloved brother's unknown fate as the vicious king's prisoner.

Yami collapsed to the floor in a shaking heap, curled his arms around the window sill and buried his face in his arms. He did nothing to stop the river of tears falling from his face: tears of anger, grief, remorse and loss. He'd always hated crying, considered it a weakness, but it seemed impossible _not_ to cry at that moment. The glassless window served as a permanent reminder of the outside world that was forever barred to him since chances were, he'd never set foot outside his current cell. He'd signed his life away: his family, his dreams, his freedom, everything he ever held dear; to a devilish creature who knew nothing of sacrifice.

Yes, now was the perfect time to cry.

* * *

(1) When in the servants are in their Spirit or human forms they're in a ghost form. Their Physical form if their monster form where they take the shape of their respected duel monster, and this is the only time they are completely physical.

(2) aka Weak bronchial tubes, which result in asthma attacks in childhood, sometimes severe, but it can be treated and soothed with a type of aroma therapy that opens the lungs and respiratory passages, in this particular time period. In the modern world you'd use an inhaler. Thankfully, the attacks seem to feign as one gets older but must be careful as illness that cause respiratory problems and extreme winds or colds that cause pneumonia could be fatal if left untreated.

(3) In case you're having a hard time picturing dragon Kaiba I had this picture from Slifertheskydragon in my head when I created him: AWESOME PICK

http:// slifertheskydragon. deviantart. com/art/Seto-Kaiba-BEWD-fusion-31210662 (just remove the spaces, or go to the link under the comments section of the Chapter on Deviantart) except of course I altered him a bit. I fell in love with the outfit the second I saw it.

As always, read, review, critique, comment, asked questions and send me your theories.


	7. Chapter 6: the Crimson Room

Chapter 6 is finished!

Also great news: my laptop is FIXED! Ha-LAy-Lu-YA! turned out it got a bootlapse or something. Thank God for the Tec guys! Bad news i still don't have Word on it, but mom's gonna mail it to me and i still got the school comps until then.

Anyway, here is chapter 6 of The Dragon's Rose! I hope you all enjoy it! Oh and for all those of you who like puzzleshipping, or know someone who does, my friend Dreams Do Matter has a poll on her account: she's thinking of writing her first fic: and yamixyugi idea, but she wants more opinions, so check it out, and send her a vote. I know she's reallyappreciate it!

Disclaimer: As always i own nothing, Yugioh and Yugioh GX and all its characters belong to Kazuki Takahashi (save for the ones created by 4Kids), and the plot for Beauty and the Beast belongs to the French author who wrote the original fairy tale. the Castle, idea and Seto's coat (at the end) belong to me.

As always, read, review, critique and enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 6: The Crimson Room

The boy's defiant gaze and wails of despair echoed in Seto's mind even as he followed Duke and Marik out towards the courtyard, to make sure the two guards returned both of Yami's siblings home safely. Both of them begged and pleaded for their brother's return, even offering the same deal, but Kaiba refused them. The smaller one could barely speak as his coughing fit returned with force.

"Get going both of you!" Kaiba ordered, as Duke and Marik secured both boys and took to the air. Knowing his servant's speeds, Seto assumed the two brothers would be home in a manner of minutes, and plenty of time to make sure the smallest boy got his medication. Sighing, Kaiba turned on his heels and returned to the manor.

He couldn't help but feel a pain of guilt wash over him as he heard his prisoner's wails, but he brushed it off. _The kitten will just have to get used to it_. He concluded as he stormed back up the spiraling staircase to the tower.

"Um…Master Seto?" a timid voice paused him.

"What, Jesse?" Seto snarled, turning to the Ruby Carbuncle.

Jesse gulped. "Well, uh, me and the guys were just wonderin which one of the guest rooms we should be preparin for Yami, you know?" he tried to steady his voice. True enough, Kaiba had never harmed or hurt any of his childish servants and didn't ever plan too, but the king's presence and commanding authority made it difficult to not feel nervous in his presence.

"And why, on earth, would you all be wondering that?" Kaiba smirked with a snort.

"Well?" Syrus moved out from behind the pillar, his glamour that of his dragonroid form. His voice was more civil than Jesse's but he still spoke in a timid tone. "We just figured since Yami is going to be staying with us for some time, that maybe he would be more comfortable staying in a proper room."

Seto snarled.

Jessie squeaked and took a step back. "Or not."

"Oh for God's sake, Kaiba!" Kaiba turned to meet a scowling young man. The metallic shell of his spirit form melted in a wisp of silver, leaving him in his human face. Despite his paled complexion and slate eyes, dead and gray from years as a spirit, he was a handsome man. Slightly shorter than Seto, Zane still stood tall, in a blue and white outfit; a spiky mop of midnight blue hair cascaded to his shoulders in smooth points. His sharp features made him lovely to behold despite the scowl on his face.

But it was the way Zane said the second half of Seto's true name, that even he sometimes forgot in the depths of his mind, that herald his attention.

"Zane!" Syrus abandoned his physical form for his spirit one and hugged his older sibling.

"Hello to you to, Syrus." The Steward cast his younger sibling a small smile, before his neutral mask returned when his eyes met his Master's. "But I believe me and the master have other matters to discuss."

Unlike the younger servants, Zane was one of the few who had no fear of Kaiba.

"Really, and what matters are those that I know nothing about?" Seto joked, arrogantly, despite Zane's scowl deepening.

"For heaven's sake, Kaiba, I certainly hope you don't plan on leaving that poor boy locked up, and freezing to death, in that bloody tower all night?" Zane scolded, making no effort to hide the disdain in his voice.

"And why not?" Seto challenged, with a sarcastic tone. "He is certainly strong enough to handle it. Besides, he had no trouble screeching at me when he made the deal." Seto snarled.

"Master please," Ryou appeared through the wall in his spirit form and pleaded, hoping to calm his Master's temper. "The boy lost his family and his freedom in less than an hour; anyone would be upset in his position."

"Besides" Syrus kept his face towards Zane, so Kaiba couldn't read his emotions. "You're deadline is in less than five months, Master. It would be a waste to have your last hope of breaking the dragon's spell freezing in a tower. Who knows some curtsey may inspire him to follow suit; he most certainly wasn't this feisty when I first saw him." Zane resisted the urge to smirk, knowing exactly what his clever brother was trying to do, and noticing the calculating look on Kaiba's face.

"Anyone would be feisty if they found their family locked up." Jesse added. "And he is a bit of a mess, who knows a good night sleep and a hot meal might do him some good."

"Hmm, you all seem to have put too much faith in a child who claims to hate me." Seto chuckled, bitterly.

"Kaiba, are you saying you don't care if the curse is broken or not! You know what happened to you if it isn't!" Zane hissed, growling at his stubborn master, more out of concern than anything else.

"I'm well aware of that, Zane, thank you. I simply don't see the point in raising everyone's hopes when they'll only be shot down in the end." Kaiba replied in a detached manner. "But if it will put you all at ease; no, I don't plan on keeping him in the tower." Kaiba snapped and stormed towards the tower staircase "Go prepare the Crimson room."

"The Crimson room?" Even Zane's eyes widened with surprise. "You haven't used that one in decades, Kaiba?" Zane asked.

"It suits him. Go get the others and set it up, now." Seto ordered and the watched the spirits move. "And Syrus…"

"Yes!" The Servant of Décor squeaked.

"Nothing too over the top, he won't like that." Kaiba ordered, turning back towards the tower, ignoring the baffled glances of his servants.

"How can ya tell?" Jesse asked.

"He's not some helpless docile maiden who'll just meekly accept his fate and be happy with a pretty room, nice clothes, and kind servants." Seto explained without stopping or looking behind him. "Why do you think I picked _that_ room?" He asked rhetorically before vanished up the tower steps.

"That was a very clever but a very risky move, Syrus." Zane half scolded when the Master was out of hearing range.

"I know," Syrus apologized. "But Master Seto's always so stubborn because he's lonely. Who knows maybe spending time with Master Yami will be good for him?" the silver-eyed boy smiled, optimistically.

*

The iron door slammed open with a loud clang when Seto shoved it. His dragon eyes scanned the tower dungeon for his captive. He found him right where he left him: collapsed in front of the windowsill, crying. Seto felt his heartstrings wrench at the sight of the strong-willed youth looking so broken, but shook it away.

"Yami?" he called.

No sooner has the teen heard his name did he look up. Wild crimson eyes blazed with anger and sorrow; visible tears marks streaked his cheeks. Yami wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, and gripped the windowsill before pulling himself into a standing position. Then, without warning, he dashed foreword and with one swift motion, punched Kaiba right in the face! The dragon's head snapped to one side with a force that almost knocked him over. Almost.

"YOU COLD-HEARTED, CALLUS, UNSCRUPULOUS BASTARD!" Yami exploded, shaking in anger, but refused to let anymore tears fall. "You couldn't give five measly seconds to say goodbye!? I just signed my life away to you! I gave up everything for my brothers; I'll never see them again and you couldn't give five lousy seconds to tell them good bye and that I loved them! Did you not see my little brother? How scared for me he was! And I couldn't even have a minute to calm him and down and tell him I'd be alright. Five seconds was all I needed! And you couldn't even give me that before you dragged them away screaming!"

Seto moved his head back and moved one of his clawed hands to rub the abused cheek, eyes glowing dangerously at the teenager as he continued his rant, but Seto remained silent, purely from shock. No one _ever _spoke to him like that. Or stuck him, even after he'd been cursed. Anger soon replaced astonishment. Seto's pride kicked in and he snatched his captive's wrist before he could move away.

Yami opened his mouth to protest but was silenced when Kaiba slammed him back against the wall, pinning both his wrists above his head; the dragon's tail around Yami's thigh holding him in place. Fearing the worst, Yami began to struggle, but Kaiba pinned him with his free hand and forced the teen to look at him. Yami shivered at the ferocity in those feral icy eyes.

"I could have you _killed _for such an act." Seto hissed in a dangerously low voice. A slight satisfaction filled him when Yami shivered, though the boys' crimson glare refused to falter. "Strike me again, and there will be dire consequences and they will _not _be in your favor."

"Let. Go of me!" Yami growled and bit his lip until he tasted blood when Seto used one of his legs to pin him against the wall. He refused to cry out. He wouldn't give the Dragon King the satisfaction.

"Let's get something straight here, _kitten_. _You_ don't make the rules, _I_ do. You agreed to be here and follow them, so I suggest you get that simple fact embedded in your skull or your time here will not be pleasant. I won't hesitate to punish you if you disobey me, again." Seto released Yami and he dropped to the floor; the defiant fire in his eyes blazing even brighter than they did before.

Seto smirked. "Mark my words, kitten; I _will _douse that defiant flame of yours." He turned and headed back towards the door. "Now, if you're done throwing a tantrum, I'll show you to your room."

"My room?" Yami's head shot up, and he got to his feet.

"Of course," Kaiba mocked. "You didn't think I was heartless enough to leave you freezing to death here in the tower all night did you? Surely even you must have a higher opinion of people. Unless, of course, you'd rather stay; if that would make you happy then by all means."

Yami growled at the mocking tone the other was giving him, and felt scarlet color his face and his ego bruise a bit, alerting Kaiba that _was_ what he thought. Swallowing his pride, Yami followed the king out of the foreboding tower.

Seto grabbed a lantern from the shelf and ordered Yami to follow him down the nearby corridor. Yami pulled his coat around him if only to keep out the cold air—having given Yugi his cloak. His eyes wondered around the corridor in amazement, though he fiercely fought it.

The castle's interior was just as magnificent as the exterior. Once Seto escorted him up the spiral staircase to the second floor, he followed down a hallway, done like an open balcony with marble railings. Yami peeked over the side and found a fantastic view of the main corridor and several other rooms including the vast dining room, beneath it. Chandeliers made of glass and crystal or iron and candles hung from the ceilings on thick chains, and statues of gargoyles and mythical creatures embedded the walls. Even along the hallway they were walking down, statues of gryphons stood evenly spaced; the grotesque craftsmanship, so finely done, Yami wouldn't be surprised if they suddenly flew away.

His gaze fell on the marble floors beneath him to the shadowed ceiling. The points and curves of the roof were done in an elaborate fashion; windows of stain glass speckled everywhere, while the pillars seemed to continue forever into the infinite darkness. Unlike the castle of his dreams, everything in this place was a darker color, or seemed veiled in shadows. No dust or cobwebs littered the castle walls or floor, despite its obvious age; not even the polished stone of the statues, floor, and balconies were aged by time.

Seto's eyes trailed behind him, mentally telling himself he only wanted to make sure the boy was following him, but another part of him couldn't resist the enthralled and terrified look on his captive's face as he scanned his new home. The silence between them suddenly became tense and suffocating, like thick coils. He'd always welcomed silence, the absence of noise offered him a sense of peace, but, suddenly, he'd give anything to make the air dances again. Having enough sense to realize Yami wouldn't make the first sound, Seto spoke. "I take it you're enjoying yourself?" he asked, mildly amused.

Yami's trance broke in an instant. He turned away, feeling heat color his face. "It's adequate." He answered, fighting with all his might to mask the emotions in his voice.

"Very." Seto added turning the corner down another hallway where rooms were being prepared. "Since the castle is now you're home, you're free to move about it as you like. Should you get lost or wish to find a specific location, don't be afraid to ask the servants. They live to please." The Master explained. A snort was his only answer. It was a miracle of Seto's will he didn't scowl. Could the boy at least _attempt_ to be civilized?

"The only restrictions" he continued "are that you are not to leave the palace grounds or go near the woods. That is for your own safety; the woods are enormous, you'd get lost for years before anyone found you without some sense of direction. The second is you are not allowed near the West Wing under any circumstances. Why or for whatever reason is not your business. Other than that, you are free to go about as you wish." This time his answer was full blown laughter. Seto stopped in his tracks and whirled around. Yami didn't even flinch at his feral gaze. "What. May I ask. Is so humorous?" Seto demanded.

"My apologies, _you're highness,_" Yami spat the title as if it were poison. "But if you think giving me a room and suddenly being polite will convince me to forgive and forget, and make nice, you are surely mistaken." Sarcasm drowned Yami's voice. "I have no intention of becoming another one of your servants, so do us both a favor and don't pretend to be nice to me." Yami snapped.

Seto's first response was anger, of course. A feral fury rose in him like a caged beast, then anguish. How dare he? This child _knew_ his story, and yet he had the gull to criticize _him_ and squabble about his own misfortunes? Did he really think his cursed existence was such a picnic? Then suddenly, his expression changed to one so shockingly surprising, even Yami's control broke into pure bewilderment: He laughed.

But it wasn't a normal laugh. The Dragon King's laughter wasn't the rich pearls Yami heard when people vocally expressed their happiness. No this was…darker, more amused, and curled with a type of humor that chilled Yami to the bone. Once the king's gaze returned to his captive, he smirked at Yami's bewildered state, a smile that curled at the corners. "You have quite a defiant spirit, Kitten." Seto took a step towards Yami, who instinctively took a step back, but Seto continued forward not letting the short distance between them increase. Yami cursed when his back hit the wall of the balcony and his hands grabbed air. "And a sharp tongue," Seto leaned over his captive, meeting the boy's fiery eyes, their face now dangerously close. "A dangerous combination in a prisoner…It'd be wise of you to keep that tongue of yours in check." Yami flinched, when one of Seto's claws traced his cheek; the dragon's smirk curled. "Otherwise, your spirit just might get you killed." He hissed in Yami's ear before, pulling back like a flash of white, leaving Yami still shaking against the banister.

The teen cursed himself for showing weakness in front of his capture, but his glare returned with full force. His defiance only seemed to amuse Seto even more. "We're here." He gestured to the room that would now be Yami's new home.

***

"Hurry up everyone, the master will be here soon." Zane ordered as the servants scurried about trying to make the Crimson room as pleasing as they could for their new guest. It had taken a while to remove the layers of dust accumulating on the wood and change the moth-eaten sheets and carpets, but the Steward had to admit the room was quickly returning to its ravishing state. Syrus, no doubt, surpassed at his job.

"You think the violet rose would look better?" Sy asked as Jaden filled the ruby colored glass with water. "I don't wanna use red, it'll be too much."

"I'd go for the white ones" Jesse suggested. "Violet may remind him too much of his bro."

"Good point." Syrus agreed arranging the snow colored flowers in the vase.

"We've finished the wardrobe" The brown-haired faerie seamstresses told her Mistress as she closed the enormous dark, stained bureau and followed Serenity, while Mai, set aside the black trench coat Master Kaiba left there on the back of the desk chair.

"We weren't sure what he liked so we added a bit of everything." Serenity added, excitingly.

"Careful hun, we don't want to spoil him." Mai, the Mistress of the Wardrobe smiled at her apprentices'' eagerness. "What do you think, Malik?"

The sandy-haired Tailor smiled. "We'll definitely have to get Yami fitted for some of these when he gets settled in." He told Mai, who nodded in agreement.

"Don't make any plans just yet." Zane reminded. "Remember, we want him to feel welcome here first."

"Okay, anything else?" Jaden asked Syrus when they finished arranging the quilts and pillows on the iron-framed bed.

"The room's ready, the wardrobe is set, the bathing chamber has been prepared, and Chazz is finishing up with the balcony," Syrus looked up as the forenamed, Chazz, closed the glass doors and dusted off the crimson and gold mesh curtains, before typing them back to let the moonlight fill the room. "I think that's everything, Jesse did you finish cleaning the fireplace?" Syrus asked, his aqua-haired friend.

"On it." Jessie promised, putting fresh wood in the fireplace, before getting the oil to light it. Orange and yellow flames filled the room with warmth and light. "We need a new gate for this thing, but the glass should let the heat out and keep the embers in." He told Zane, who recorded the problem for future needs.

"Did Ryou prepare dinner yet? The master hasn't eaten and the new master must be hungry." Serenity asked the Steward.

"Worry about that later!" Joey barged through the door as a golden-haired apparition. "Everyone scat, that master's coming." Following the blonde's advice, the spirits phased through the walls, before returning to their monsterous forms, silently hoping the room was ready for their newest resident.

***

The click of keys unlocking the gold embroidered door was the only warning Yami got before he suddenly found himself whisked inside his new room. Not even bothering to check around, he turned his attention to his capture and glared. "I can walk just fine on my own."

Seto snorted. "Again you don't know when to hold your tongue. Very well." Seto shook his head, and turned around, as if leaving. "Despite the circumstances, and as difficult as this is for you to accept, I do hope you enjoy your stay here." Yami resisted the urge to blink at the sympathy in the Lord's voice.

"Now, get dressed and have the servants bring you down for dinner." Seto commanded.

"No." Yami said simply, hands balled into fists at his sides.

Seto froze in his tracks. "I beg your pardon?" His voice was lower and more dangerous than it had been all night.

"I'm not hungry." Yami said flatly, grateful his empty stomach didn't voice its protests.

"I wasn't asking if you were hungry or not. I'm _telling _you. You're going to dinner." Seto's icy glare met Yami's, the intensity of his own icy depths rivaled by the fire blazing untamable in Yami's crimson.

"No. I'm not." Yami said simply; his tone indomitable and undaunted. Blazing eyes of fire bore into twin pools of ice: flames of defiance, impossible to quench and domineering ice, too thick to ever hope of breaking. Fire and Ice remained transfixed, neither willing to break their control or give the other the satisfaction of knowing he'd won.

Finally, the dragon king smiled, a small smirk that made Yami blink, before a chorus of laughter erupted from deep within Seto's throat. Blood boiled in Yami's veins. Did the Dragon King really find him so amusing? The thought made Yami's teeth clench in rage.

"Very well, kitten." Seto half-mocked "Be stubborn; I will not degrade myself to arguing with you. If you insist on acting this way then starve for the night. Perhaps going without food for a while will do your attitude some good." He laughed, but just as quickly his glare turned hard and he leaned over to meet Yami's eyes: the boy too stunned to do anything but stand still. "But know this: I mean what I say; you won't get anything else tonight. The servants obey only me. If I order them not to give you something, they'll obey. You won't be able to have them bring you something later because you skipped a meal, solely because of your stubbornness, so you either come now, or go without. The choice is yours." The sharp tone spoke only the ugly truth.

Despite the flinch in his step and his churning stomach, Yami's glare refused to falter. "I'll take my chances."

"Fine." Seto turned on his heels and stormed out the door. "Goodnight." Was all he said before the door slammed shut, leaving Yami alone in the gilded cage.

Yami growled and kick the door in frustration, before grabbing the closeting pillow he could find and released a violent scream, he'd been holding back, into its confines. He let it drop into his lap, and panted in frustration when he was done. It didn't make him feel better, but if felt nice to release some of his pent-up stress.

When he opened his eyes (not remembering when he'd closed them), he finally took in the surroundings of his new room. He wasn't sure what to expect when Seto said he was having a room in the palace. He expected some sort of combination of a fairytale room that a princess would want or something straight out of Cinderella when the lucky bitch got her prince and kingdom. The exact _opposite_ of what he _did_ get: unless, of course, it was Cinderella's room on the other side of the looking glass.

The room was beautiful (though he hated to admit it) in a dark, gothic sort of manner. Instead of a wooden bed and canopy fir for a king, an iron frame formed the bed; a grotesque pattern formed the headboard and end of the bed like a combination of a spiral and spider wed. The iron frame convoluted and contorted upward like twisted vines in a type of iron wood canopy. Red and gold mesh veiled the roof and draped down, pooling once it hit the carpet like waterfalls of gold and blood. Crimson blankets of satin and other fabric draped the full-sized mattress. Embroidered pillows woven from gold, red and black satin or Egyptian cotton aligned the headboard in various sizes, forming pattern that served both comfort and as a decorative purpose.

Next to the bed was a black iron table in the same grotesque molding as the bed. A lit candle rested peacefully next to a book bound in green leather and a pen. Above the table an exquisitely carved candelabrum rested flat against the wall; each of its multiple branches held a lit, decorative candle, filling the room with fragrance. Opposite the bed, a fire roared to life contained by about three feet of obsidian stone and mantle: iron and glass served to keep the embers safely contained while heat flooded into the room. Candles lined the mantel piece, all in adequate iron candle holders. A red vase filled with white roses in the center, contrasted with the black stone of the mantle. Two large candles blazed to life in black, iron lanterns on either side of the fireplace.

Yami's eyes wondered further around the room: all the furniture was simple yet elegantly carved from rich rosewood with gold or brass handles. The pieces lined against the walls opposite and adjacent the bed. In the far corner, against the same wall as the fireplace, an enormous rosewood wardrobe towered almost to the ceiling. The exquisite carvings resembled the vines of a forest, convoluting up the wood, while the images of mythical creatures decorated the doors.

Perpendicular to it was a door, barely opened, but Yami could see it led to a joint bathroom. The polished obsidian floor contrasted nicely with the ivory basin rising from the floor that served as a tub and the pale cream marble of the counters. In the corner adjacent the entrance door sat a gracefully carved rosewood desk and a large bookshelf, stacked with leather bound books with brass or silver bindings and golden titles. Brass knobs and bindings decorated the desk where stacks of paper, books and pens had already been pre-organized.

The darkness of the furniture and bed contrasted nicely with the Egyptian gold carpets covering the floors. The unique walls boasted three colors: half crimson and half pale gold with a thin strip of black between them.

Despite his fervent desire to hate the room, Yami loved it, but at the same time it was a gift from his captor, and he fought tooth and nail to despise it. But what drew Yami's attention was the wall on the left side of the bed: a strip made almost entirely out of glass, save for the aged, gold bindings of a doorway and the mesh curtains. If not for the balcony appearing through the invisible wall, Yami could've been convinced nothing was there.

He got up enthralled, and walked to the glass. A transparent reflection met him as he approached. His hand moved automatically to meet that of his reflection, only to feel the cold glass of the invisible barrier beneath it. Instead of the sickeningly sweet clichéd view of cherry trees, he saw the dark forest, frosted with snow and ice, beneath a towering, foreboding, black and white mountain. The silver full moon, shimmering in the black sky, perfected the image. Soon, it became too difficult to look beyond his reflection and at the portrait behind it before he found himself meeting his eyes in the clear mirror.

His hand gently retracted from the glass, pulling back as far as it could before tightening into a fist. Yami growled and punched the glass window, hard. Not even a crack or dent marred the perfect clear surface. His bangs shadowed his eyes as he lowered his face and pressed his forehead against the glass, shaking in anger, anguish and fear. All his emotions pooled together at once making it impossible to calm himself down. His nails scarped against the living symbol of the bitterness of his sacrifice.

Freedom. So close, yet just as the glass blocked his path, he'd never be able to grasp it again.

Overcome by his raging emotions, he struggled backwards from the window until the back of his hand touched the iron sides of the bed and he collapsed in a heap on the floor, no longer carrying about the tears marring his cheeks.

***

"Ouch! Jesse, you stepped on my foot!" Chazz snapped in a whisper, trying to shove the sea foam-haired servant out of his way.

"Sorry." Jesse apologized, trying to untangle himself from the weave the four boys had pulled themselves into.

"Stop moving!" Jaden ordered, pulling Syrus next to him, effectively sending Chazz and Jesse into a heap on the floor. "He'll hear you." The brunette warned, pressing his translucent ear against the door and braced his body with his hands. Syrus copied his action, listening for any sound on the other side of the thick rosewood door.

"Remind me again, why we're not just phasing inside?" Chazz demanded, sarcastically.

"Cuz first off, that's rude." Jesse answered first. "And second you heard what the Master said, and I for one ain't pushin that temper of his anymore than it's already been pushed, tonight."

"Damn straight, he practically stormed downstairs when Yami didn't want dinner." Jaden shivered at the memory.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Chazz blinked. The three boys looked at the head servant with bewilderment. "Well, think about it, when was the last time Seto bothered to _walk _someplace? Normally, he just flies wherever he needs to go?"

"Uh?" Jaden leaned against the door, actually pondering the question. "To tell you the truth, I can't remember."

"Shouldn't you three be in bed by now?" The quartet jumped and whirled around to see Seto standing there with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face.

"With all due respect, Master Seto, but we're over 100 years old, and it's only" Chazz turned to the antiquarian clock in the hallway corner. "1 in the morning?"

Seto smiled "Rules are rules boys; now get to bed before I call Zane." He playfully warned, watching them scurry away. A small chuckled escaped his mouth before his attention turned to the real reason he'd wondered back to the East Wing.

The lock of the door opened with a shallow click and a low creek. Though darkness shrouded the room in shadow, the multiple candle-lit candelabrums and the roaring fire lit the room in a bright glow, alerting him that his captive was not on the bed where he'd left him, or at the desk, or in the chamber room. His dragon eyes scanned the corners of the large room, until they caught a flash of red on the other side of the iron bed frame. With an elegant swoop, the Dragon King found himself on the other side of the Crimson room, staring down at his shivering captive on the floor.

Seto sighed and knelt down, a clawed hand removed the golden forelock from the boy's sleeping face, revealing the uneasy sleep he'd succumbed to, and the tear-streaks marrying his cheeks. Carefully, Seto whipped the tears away with the back of his hand. A silent shiver ran through his hand when the warm skin touched his cool scales. The boy truly was beautiful.

"Why must you be so stubborn?" Seto sighed before hooking his arms under Yami's legs and back and gently lifting him in to his arms. Yami's trenchant slid to the floor with the action, but Seto's tail was quick to catch it.

Relieving his captive of the uncomfortable position, the dragon king placed him sideways on the bed, resting against the myriad of pillows. His eyes scanned the boy over, taking in his dirty shirt and pants, soiled from the day's events. Seto closed his eyes and with a snap of his fingers, the clothes joined Yami's trench coat, while the Master turned to the wardrobe and pulled out something for the boy to wear tomorrow. His eyes caught something shinning against the candle light.

"I thought I'd lost this." Seto's eyes widened, as his clawed hands fingered over one of his old trench coats. He pulled it from its place on the chair and held it open. It looked as lovely as if did when he'd lost it: the shiny black leather shamed the midnight, the stitching of a gold dragon spiraling around the elegant stitching of a red rose decorated along the arm; another red rose with silver wings adorned the back, surrounded by grotesque spirals of gold and silver; a similar stitching decorated the tail and hems. His eyes darted from the coat to his shivering captive, then back to the coat. He deposited the fresh clothes on the rim of the bed and gently covered his captive's shivering body, before making a note to have Malik and Mai have it fitted for him once he was settled.

That coat looked better on Yami then it ever did on him.

* * *

SWEET! It's done! Wahoo! This was another chapter I had written back in January, well the first half I did, and I had the idea for the end too. I'm not sure where I got the idea for the end, but I thought it showed the other side of Seto: the coat will actually play a role later. And I love the design I made for it so NO STEALING!

The design for Yami's room came from a combination of things: obviously I wanted to do something different than a beautiful perfect princess room and some clichéd shit like that. 1. Its not Yami, 2. Its clichéd and 3. It's just not me. The design for his bed was inspired by Sam's from Danny Phantom (I love her room), everything else I made up as I went though I had a specific design for what I wanted that I thought suited him. The coloring on the walls I did cuz its how I always wanted to paint my room (though I doubt we ever will) and I thought it would look really cool and fit the scheme of things.

Anyway, I left I lot to comment, so as always enjoy, read, review critique, ask questions and comment whatever you like.

End Chap notes:

Servant names and notes: (just the ones that have appeared in depth so far so everyone gets a better grasp of who's who. The Rest will appear next chapter as more of the staff are introduced)

Syrus: Servant of Décor; he oversee each room and makes sure the castle is clean and presentable, and that each bed room suits the needs and likes of its occupants; Zane's younger brother; the youngest servant, Jaden's lover; Dragonroid spirit

Jaden: Servant of Entertainment; since he can't stand boredom or sadness, Jaden takes it upon himself to the best of his abilities to make sure no one in the castle succumbs to boredom; loves playing games; Syrus' "aniki" and lover; Winged Kuriboh Spirit

Jesse: The Stable Servant; along with his "foster brother" Jim, Jesse takes care of the animals both in and out of the castle, and is a guide to the castle grounds. Inside the castle, he assists his friends, in any way he can, with their chores; Jim's "foster" sibling; Ruby Carbuncle spirit

Chazz: Head Servant, as the "oldest" of the lower staff, he keeps his fellow servants on track and—to his best efforts—out of trouble. He makes sure they all get their work done and usually assists his friends with their jobs as well; the only servant allowed in Kaiba's room, since he was once his assistant. Dragon Light and Dark Spirit (the size of a housecat)

Zane: Steward; in charge of all the castle staff and runs the place down cold! Also in charge of the castle in Kaiba's absence and is one of the few who has no fear of Kaiba though he respects him a great deal; Syrus' older brother and a paternal force for the younger members of the castle—Syrus, Jaden, Jesse, and Chazz; Cyber Dragon Armor Spirit


	8. Chapter 7: The Cursed Castle

Woohoo! I'm done! It took me a while to get this chap the way I wnated it, but perosnally I like how it came out. It took me three days two days to write, and i would've had it up sooner but i felt a little sick this morning, so...

I'm so happy! I am done with all my projects and now the only thing i have to worry about is finals, which are gonna be easy, so now i can finally get back to the important things: my writing, my fanfiction and of course enjoying the holiday and getting A LOT of sleep and well deserved relaxation, I swear all the nervous energy i was running on the past few weeks have taken their toll on me, but anyway, I'm, back now and with a whole knew chap for you guys!

I also I was thinking of doing a Christmas one-shot but I'm not sure at the moment.

Disclaimer: Yugioh, Yugioh GX and all its characters belong to Kazuki Takahashi, and Beauty and the Beast and any references to the movie belong to Disney and the french lady Jeanne De Beller, i think (and i did this for my folklor class XD) who wrote it. I own nothing, this is just for fun.

As always, read, review, critique, comment and ask questions! OH! and fair warning there will be a bit of ankishipping (jadenxsy) in this chap but not much. Just letting you all know.

* * *

Chapter 7: The Cursed Castle

Yami didn't want to move. Even as the midday light poured through the window, shaking him from the other reality of sleep. Taking advantage of the sudden wakefulness, his stomach took the time to voice its needs and growled. The pain of emptiness effectively ruined Yami's sleep. The boy growled and tried to sink deeper into the soft pillows and comfy mattress. His hand reached to pull his comforter tighter around his body.

Except there was no comforter.

And the pillows were not his.

Surprise shocked Yami into wakefulness, and he looked around his room frantically to try and figure out where he was. The room was not his: the bed was too soft; the pillows too fancy; the bed and furniture too rich; and the outline was nothing like the cozy room he'd created for himself in his grandfather's house.

Last night suddenly came crashing back to him, so suddenly a hand rose to gently press against his temples while the other braced his shaking form. The reality finally sinking in that all the events of the previous day had not simply been a nightmare as he had hoped. It had all been real.

Yami certainty didn't feel real, though. Nothing felt real; he wanted to feel like he'd suddenly fallen through the rabbit hole, and awoken in a twisted version of his favorite fairy tale. He'd dreamed the thought before but never in his life had he ever dared wish such a fantasy would come true. And yet here he was: the prisoner of the Dragon King he'd read about every day since he was twelve, living out his sentence in a magnificent castle that haunted his thoughts, and sleeping in a room that suited a dark princess rather than the imaginative son of a wealthy merchant. Yami just froze, stunned as the utter impossibility of his situation crashed against the sheer actuality of it. He shivered, pulling the coats tighter against his bare skin.

He froze as he comprehended that statement. Coat? Bare skin? A shiver of dread suddenly crawled up Yami's spine as the cool air suddenly bit the bare skin of his arms, legs and torso. Slowly, very slowly, he looked down at himself…and found he was wearing nothing but a long black leather trench coat and his boxers.

"What the hell!?" Yami hollered in both anger and shock, before growling and wrapping the coat around himself, his face going as red as his eyes, despite the fact no one was in the room. "Who the hell..?" he demanded before the answer suddenly crashed into his mind, making him see red all over again. His fists clenched the leather so hard his knuckles went white. "Kaiba." Yami growled low in this throat. He searched frantically for his clothes and only found a neat pile at the end of the large bed. A parchment on top.

Yami stood up and snatched the paper off the pile, using one hand to keep the trench coat closed around him. His name was written in elegant sapphire ink.

_Yami_

_As I'm sure you are aware of, you have no clothing. No, it was not I who undresses you, but I refused to let you roam around my castle in your filthy clothes. Therefore, as an act of a good host, I've provided you with a new outfit until the seamstresses and tailor can create a new wardrobe to suit your liking. I suggest you become acquainted with them soon and accomplish the task quickly, for I will not be around to provide for your needs if you do not take it upon yourself to see if they are met._

_Kaiba_

_P.S. Feel free to keep the trench coat, I must say it looks better on you then it ever did on me. _

Yami growled and crunched the note in his hand, unsure if he should be grateful or angered at the casual tone in the note. Any kindness Seto had placed in it was marred by the sheer arrogance he could just hear behind the words: like Yami was a child Kaiba was teaching how to take care of himself. However, that last line burned a blush across his face.

He crumbled the note in his hand and chucked it across the room before scanning over the clothes. Yami couldn't deny the clothes were lovely. They reminded him of the garments he'd seen when the family had lived in England for a time. Traveling around the world, he'd seen European fashions hadn't changed much, but the clothes in his arms seemed…unique, as if made just for him. He growled in frustration before swallowing his pride and let the trench coat slip from his shoulders. It was either accept Seto's gift or go naked. At this point he wasn't sure which was worse.

The long sleeved violet shirt sculpted his lean form trimmed with amethyst cuffs. A lovely long jacket colored scarlet with golden spirals all over it slipped over the shirt and trailed to his knees. Gold buttons buttoned down the front from his collar to his navel; two gold chains connected the front of the tail across his thighs. Black pants with a slit from just the below the knee to the floor, sculpted his legs then flared at his ankles; gold designs matching the jacket decorated the hems. Slender knee-high black leather boots with gold clasps completed the outfit.

Once he was dressed he jumped to his feet and spun around in front of the mirror, as if testing the outfit. He hated to admit it, but the clothes were perfect. He noticed his chocker was missing and found a crimson sash on the bed. He snatched it up and walked over to the vanity and wardrobe, both were empty of garments but to his happiness he found a wooden box of old accessories. He dug through it until he found a gold gothic cross-shaped pendant with an opal in the center and a ruby at the top bottom and on each arm of the cross. He looped the sash threw the loop at the top and carefully tied it around his neck in the form of a chocker.

"Much better." He smirked to himself, admiring his appearance in the mirror. "Yugi would love this." He chuckled remembering all the times he and Yugi had spent their afternoons increasing their diverse wardrobes. Realization crashed into him again. All enjoyment sapped from his face, until he matched the shocked, broken face in the mirror. "Yugi…Atem…" he mentally kicked himself for forgetting even for a moment why he was there. He leaned his head against the mirror, before sighing in defeat. "I guess it doesn't matter now…I made my choice, I can only hope and pray they find happiness." Yami said to himself, in hopes of earning some form of comfort.

As if answering his prayers for a distraction, his stomach suddenly howled it protests, reminding him he hadn't eaten anything since the previous morning. His argument with Kaiba was still fresh in his mind, but damn him if he was going to let that arrogant bastard starve him. Yami stormed to the door before carefully gripping the gold handle. He gave it an experimental turn. So good so far. He turned it completely with a swift flick of the wrist and pulled it open.

It wasn't locked. No one was outside. The hallways were dark as they had been the previous night save for the light seeping through the skylights overhead and the burning candles. Yami smirked, but deciding not to tempt his luck, carefully scanned the hallway before slipping out of the safety of his room and slid against the wall. Nothing moved. No one acknowledged his presence. In fact the castle seemed as deserted as it appeared. Smirking in victory, Yami strolled through the hallway past the wide windows and descended down the staircase.

Now all he had to do was find the kitchen.

*

Syrus sighed as his back hit the wall. He put up no resistance as his lover ravished his neck with transparent kisses and caresses. The touches feeling both solid and transparent against his ghostly form send a shiver of delight threw him.

"Jaden…" he moaned through half-lidded eyes.

"Yes?" the rambunctious brunette smiled exuberantly. His eyes too bright and his faced flushed.

"We can't stay here, as much as I'd like too. We'll get caught." He gestured to the hallway, behind them, though Jaden had been sure to hide them behind the curtain first. Heaven forbid anyone other than Chazz or Jesse should see them. Having been the best of friends as teens, a hundred years together in a castle had only caused their bond to grow and bloom until neither could deny the passion and love between them. Their lack of physical human forms did little to hinder their activities, but they mutually agreed to keep it a secret. At least until the curse was broken.

"Aw, do we half too?" Jaden whined.

Syrus could only laugh. Jaden was such a child, but Sy loved that boyish charm. It certainly didn't stop Jaden from being serious when the situation called for it.

"You want someone to find us?" Syrus teased.

"Of course not!" Jaden panicked. "You know how over-protective Zane is? He'll never let me see you again." The very thought was enough to send Jaden into a fit of panics, until he felt Sy's gentle hands on his arms.

"Then keep quiet about it." Sy replied, disappearing through the curtain. Unable to resist, Jaden swooped behind him before wrapping an arm around his smaller lover's waist and stealing a kiss from him—then ceremonially dropped him to the floor.

"Wah" Sy hissed in shock, before he stared back at Jaden's shocked face. "Yami!"

"Yami?" Sy blinked? "That's something you say when you're kissing you're lover." Sy growled angrily.

"Huh!?" Jaden turned to Syrus then threw his hands up in defense and shook his head. "No! no! no! Not that! Look!" The brunette pointed behind Syrus. Sy turned his head just in time to see their new quest disappearing down the stairs.

Syrus gasped and cursed in French "Zut Allors! He's emerged!"

*

The staircase spiraled to the first floor, and Yami found himself back in the front hallway. The enormous locked doors to the front mocked him as Yami passed by. He snorted and growled trying to navigate his way through the labyrinth of chambers. His stomach refused to silence. "Shut up, I'm trying." He ordered, and turned down another hallway. Every corridor appeared the same, made of stone and lit with candles, but each was decorated in a different manner, only making it more difficult to decide which place led where.

Two Oakwood doors blocked the end of the hallway. A light leaking from the bottom caught Yami's attention. Swiftly, he turned the handles and shoved the doors open a crack, preventing any noise. His eyes widened as he scanned the enormous dining room.

Even in the darkness the room was stunning. A smooth velvet carpet colored forest green covered the floor, while a velvet red carpet stretched from the entrance, up too small steps and to a large platform where a beautifully carved gold and white table lied. Matching chairs in a similar fashion lined the walls opposite the ends of the table. Behind the table three windows covered almost the entire wall, shaped like the top of an octagon, lined with maroon curtains tied with gold cord. The darkness outside told him it was still night. A crystalline chandelier lit with candles hung from the ceiling on an iron chain, while candelabrums lit with cream-colored candles rested on the Oakwood tables. A huge fireplace framed with black stone rested embedded in the opposite wall where a huge mirror rested above the mantelpiece. There was no ceiling, instead a balcony, Yami recognized as one of the ones he'd traveled when Seto showed him his room, branched from one wall to the other. Yami shivered wondering what the room must've looked like during the day, with light spilling it from the windows.

In the far corner, lights danced behind another Oakwood door, diverting his attention. Slowly, he approached the door and gently pushed it open. A short stone hallway lit by orange and yellow lights led to what he assumed was the kitchen. Voices and howls erupted from the brightly lit room.

Caution, winning over curiosity, Yami pressed his back against the opposite wall, keeping himself in the safety of the shadows, before silently sliding towards the entrance. He remained in place and carefully leaned over to peer inside. The kitchen was vibrant with bright lights, as if sunlight lit the entire room, though he could only see a few candles and enormous wheel-shaped chandeliers hanging from chains from the ceiling. In the corner rose an enormous brick structure that Yami could've mistaken for an alter if not for the black smoke pouring out the brick tower and the blazing yellow and orange fire burning wildly within it.

The kitchen was huge; an entire room made of stone and glass. The floor was made of a sandy-gold stone. The fire pit, contained by the enormous brick stove, rested in the far corner imbedded in the wall. A line of black tools hung from the wall around the stove, so they were within easy reach. A tall man, taller than Yami with thick white hair in short, wild spikes, stood before the fire pit. With a wave of his tanned arms, the fires roared to life, before calming with the flick of the man's wrist. With another flick of his wrists jars of spices levitated from the mess upon the huge wooden table in the middle of the room, and rearranged themselves in the towering spice cabinet next to the stove. Servants moved about, two he recognized as the aqua and black haired boys in the tower, scurried about the kitchen carrying plates of little cakes, baskets of apple and fruits and trays covered with silver tins, before placing them all on a huge wooden table in the middle. The table was chocked with knives and cutting boards, and overgrown with apples, peppers, carrots and other vegetables dotting a mass of leafy green vegetables. The servants gathered them all in wicker baskets before relocating them in either the huge ice box in the corner or the enormous pantry, so large it covered almost the entire wall.

Over a large silver sink, another boy, who appeared around Yami's age, with cream skin, and long white hair tied back in a green ribbon scrubbed pots beneath a facet of running water. Steam rose when the hot water touched the cool, gray water. A pair of wings, one white and feathery, the other black leather, sprouted from just below his shoulder blades.

A young girl sat on the counter top drying plates; her long auburn red hair was tied back with a white cloth and spilled to her hips, and she wore what Yami swore was woman's armor. White wings erupted from her back, causing Yami's eyes to bulge. An aqua-haired servant and a boy with black hair, both he recognized from the tower carried large pots, struggling with large towers of plates and cauldrons of water. The two placed the objects on the table before a flash of turquoise and blue surrounded them. A dark blue cat-like creature with a ruby in its tail and a dragon the size of a large cat, half-white and half-black stood in their place. The two creatures then relocated the dishes from the counter tops to the cupboards above the counters, carved from wood but each one had a class window, so people could see where each one went.

The white haired man in the corner turned around, barking orders, revealing his true face. He had a few inches on Yami and rich caramel skin identical to Atem's, but a jagged orange scar shaped like a double X marred his left cheek, from beneath his eye to his chin. A strong hand wiped the sweat from his brow. His sharp features were defined and propelled like his dark brownish-black eyes. His spiky white hair fell to his shoulders, splotches smoky gray, contrasting with his skin and eyes. He wore a slender blood- maroon outfit that sculpted his arms and legs with thick black straps around his legs and hips. His apron was blotched with soot and stained red. But Yami's eyes caught sight of the four bat-like wings suddenly protruding from his back: blood red leather skin tattered at the ends, hanging loosely off thick black veins, with a trio of white claws protruding from the top.

Yami ducked behind the wall hoping he wasn't seen. His heart hammered in his chest in confusion and excitement, as he pondered who—or rather what—they were.

"UGH! I can't believe this!" The cook hollered in a deep abrasive voice, his rich accent sounded British, but Yami hadn't been to England in over a decade. "I slave all day over a hot stove, quite _literally _and what!? It all goes to waste because Kaiba can't control one feisty kid!" He raised his hands in protests, causing the fire in the hearth to rise with his anger. The servants and the girl on the counter to jump.

The only one unafraid of the cook's temper was the white haired boy doing dishes.

"Calm down Bakura," he told the chef, taking his long white hair out a ponytail. "Yami had every right to say no. Even_ I_ wouldn't want to dine with Kaiba after such an act of rudeness. I swear something must be done about that awful attitude of his!"

"Hah!" Bakura through his heads back and laughed "It'll be snow in August by the time that happens. Where is Jaden?"

No a moment later said brunette (who Yami recognized from the tower, also) bulldozed into the room through the opposite door, panting heavily. A smaller aqua-haired boy floated beside him. "Sorry," Jaden panted, before glowing in a red light. A winged Kuriboh took his place. Yami's eyes almost bulged out of his skull. He couldn't look away as the blue-haired boy next to Jaden closed his eyes and in a flash of silver, faded away until a small, red and gold creature that looked like a wingless, baby dragon remained. Wasting no time, Jaden, in the form of Winged Kuriboh, grabbed a stack of plates clearly too heavy for him. The tiny creatures struggled, flapping its wings violently as it made its way towards the pantry.

"Jaden let me help you" the small dragon begged his companion.

"I got it, Sy," Jaden replied, flapping his wings violently. Finally, they gave out beneath him and he faltered sending plates scattering around him.

Without thinking Yami dove and slid across the floor to catch the falling creature in his arms. Plates rained around him, as Yami pulled the shaking Kuriboh in his arms.

Everyone, who had moved for the same reason, froze and stared at the boy on the floor. Yami blinked in surprise, until his eyes widened in remembrance: he wasn't supposed to be there.

"Oh, there you are." The Winged Kuriboh looked up from his hands and smile. "Sy and I wondered where you disappeared too."

Yami reacted with the force of a round of spring: his entire body jumped and he fell backwards, until he was in a half-sitting, half-lying position. His eyes wide with shock and stunned mystification. The action sent Jaden flying into the air, forcing him to flex his wings.

"Well," Bakura crossed his arms and flexed his wings, smirking at the teen on the floor "Nice to see _someone_ in his house is up and about."

"Owe?" Jaden rubbed his head with a tiny green paw before blinking his purple and gold eyes at his savor. He smiled brightly and extended a green paw to Yami, who stared at him with a mixture of shock, confusion, and amazement. "I'm Jaden, please to meet you."

"Uh, hello." Yami shook Jaden's hand with two fingers.

"I apologize about this." The pale white-haired boy leaned forward slightly, so his kind chocolate eyes met Yami's bewildered ones. "My name is Ryou, and before you ask, no you are not in any way mad, and I do hope our presence didn't shock you. We honestly didn't expect to meet you formally until tomorrow, otherwise we would've made your acquaintance already. But now that you're here, we'd like to welcome you to the manor, Master…Yami, is it?"

Yami nodded still shocked.

"Sorry about before?" The blue fox like creature jumped on Ryou's shoulder. "We didn't get to introduce ourselves. Name's Jesse." He smiled before jumping off Ryou's shoulder and spun in a flash of blue. When it faded a green-haired boy in his teens, landed on his heels and offered a hand to Yami. "Hello." Yami replied, a bit breathlessly, and shook the offered hand. Jesse took the opportunity to pull him to his feet.

"Sorry, about earlier." The red and gold dragon, he assumed was Syrus, smiled sadly, before reappearing as the blue-haired boy with silver eyes and no taller than Yugi, a moment later. "I hope all of our transforming back and forth didn't scare you." He smiled sincerely.

"It's alright, I don't mind." Yami smiled. "I'm assuming these are you're physical forms?" He asked gesturing to Jaden's Kuriboh form.

"Only if we want, we can't really do much in our real forms unless we make them solid which takes a lot so, it's easier for us to go like this." Jaden explained.

"But the Dragon King has a form so, how come none of you have one?" Yami asked, wondering why they were suddenly switching between their spiritual forms and the monstrous forms he recognized from the fairy tale.

"We do!" Jesse jumped in. "They're just…"

"They're hard to maintain and often times too difficult for mortals to see, unless we focus a great deal of physical and mental energy on them like Jesse and Sy are doing now, otherwise we're like ghosts and sometimes we can't touch solid objects, so like Jay said, it's easier for us to remains in these forms." The black and white dragon smiled from the counter. "I'm Chazz." "Well, I can see you just fine, but alright." Yami nodded with a small smile.

"Easy there, lads, you don't wanna shock the boy anymore than he already has been shocked tonight." Bakura teased before narrowing his eyes to the teen in front of him. Yami stayed still as Bakura's hard eyes, void of emotion and impossible to read, scanned him over critically. "The boys told me you're the reason the Master was throwing a fit this afternoon, is that true?"

Yami raised an eyebrow but still answered. "If he threw a tantrum because I refused to obey him then that is no one's fault but his own. I think I made myself perfectly clear when I said I refused to become another one of his servants, just because we made a deal."

Everyone froze for a bit. Then Bakura did the last thing anyone expected. Even Ryou's eyes nearly bulged out of his skull: he laughed. "You got a lot of spunk, lad. Good, it about time _someone _deflated the oversized ego of Kaiba's. Lord knows he needs to learn to lighten up a bit." The cook laughed in such a way, Yami wasn't sure if it was good or bad until Bakura smirked. "Welcome to the Castle, I'm Bakura, the cook here and Ryou's husband, at your service."

"My name's Serenity." The girl he'd seen earlier jumped from the counter to greet him; a bright smile on her face. "You've already met Jaden." The Winged Kuriboh fluttered in the air, knocking Chazz off the counter. The dragon growled, and flexed his wings and began an aerial chase. Yami ducked, hoping to avoid the crossfire. Soon Jesse and Syrus both returned to their spirit forms and joined in the play.

"Don't mind them" Ryou chuckled. "They're always eager to see a new face. Now, if there is anything at all we can do to make your stay more comfortable; please do not hesitate to ask."

"Yeah, we haven't had any guests here in ages!" Jaden smiled, stopping in the air, causing the other three spirits to crash into him.

"Well, I am a little hungry." Yami began.

Ryou instantly beamed. "You hear that? He's hungry!" he turned to Bakura, who smiled a smile that curled at the corners. "Start the fire!" Bakura spun around and waved his hand; the oven erupted in flames. "Pull out the spices, break out the china!" Not a moment later, everything did as commanded: the spice cabinet flew open and various jars of different colored herbs levitated in the air, and drawers opened, forks, spoons, and knives stood like soldiers awaiting a command. Yami gasped in amazement.

"Wait," Jesse countered, before whispering to Ryou "Didn't the Master say…"

"NONESENSE!" The white haired cook cut him off and declared, boldly "Until I join the afterlife not a soul in this castle is going to bed hungry!"

Yami almost blushed at the attention "Really, you don't have to-

"Nonsense!" Bakura cut him off, causing two huge pots he's levitate to drops on top of the roaring stove. Before Yami could blink Bakura flew in front of him making him jump and stumble backwards. Bakura circled him, scanning him up and down then pinched his arm making Yami growl, and snatch his arm away "What the hell are you—" he demanded angrily but again Bakura cut him off.

"Good Lord, I've got my work cut out for me." The chef shook his head both in disappointment and in excitement at the new challenge. "Not to worry, lad. When I'm done with you you'll never eat again! Lord knows you need it, you're much to thin for a normal fifteen—"

" I'M 17!" Yami countered angrily. He knew he didn't look his age, but still found it insulting.

"17!" Bakura gasped in horror. "That's even worse! Bloody Scoots, lad, do you ever eat? You're nothing but skin and bones?"

"Huh?" Yami blinked.

"Don't answer that!" Bakura countered and flapped around the room gathering ingredients. "Alright! We're going to need chickens, chestnuts and broth for stuffing, plenty of hazelnuts," Bakura started shouting randomly, before grabbing a basket of apples from the pantry and began slicing through each one like butter, cutting them into star shapes. "And three cups of flour, six eggs and quart of milk… move it ya lackies" He hollered sending the servants scurrying throughout the kitchen as the Cook randomly shouted what he needed. The chef darted from the ice box to the pantry or the table, grabbing, slicing and tossing food over his shoulder into pots, on pans or plates, or sending them floating into the air and automatically obeying his commands. "Where is that Caian pepper?"

The whole process was so quick and complex, Yami suddenly felt dizzy watching him work.

"JESSE!" The obnoxious chef hollered.

" SIR!" the Ruby Carbacal answered, while Bakura placed a tray of sliced cheeses and crackers and assorted fruits on his head.

"Bring that to the dining hall and don't spill a single one or I'll have ya hide!"

"You betcha" Jesses replied, before jumping off the counter and dashing towards the dining room.

"Come on, Yami." Yami looked down and found Syrus tugging on his sleeve. "You'll love it. Bakura's a great cook." Smiling, Yami scooped the cat-sized creature in his hand making him yelp, and walked towards the dining room. He shoved the doors open, so Jesse and Chazz could get in and place the food on the table. He gently placed Syrus on the table and turned around just in time to see Jaden fly in. The Winged Kuriboh struggled to carry a huge bowl of gravy on his head and flapping his tiny wings exhaustedly. Taking pity on him, when Jaden started to slowly fall to the ground, Yami takes the pot of Jaden's head and carried it to the table.

"Hey!" Jaden moaned annoyed "That's our job!"

Yami chuckled at the pout on the boy's face. "What so now I'm not even aloud to help. Fat chance. Listen guys, I appreciate all this, really, but I can take care of myself, I _really _can't stand being waited on all the time."

The servants just nodded and retreated back to the kitchen before coming back with more food, putting up no resistance whenever Yami offered to help.

When Bakaura finished, all thing delicious and imaginable were spread across the white and gold table cloth. Yami noticed they'd only set one plate for him, but looking at the display before him, he knew there was no way he could even hope to eat all the food: a basket of ripe, red apples arranged next to a shellfish fantasias; a basket of bread and rolls sat on red velvet next to a plate of butter. The center piece was a huge chicken stuffed with chestnut stuffing, next to a bowl of buttery gravy. Wheel shaped plates of cheese and crackers hemmed by pieces of ham and beef served as appetizers. Jeweled goblets were filled with burgundy wine. For desert, plates of fruits: strawberries smoothed with cream and dusted with red sugars, raspberries coated in a thin shell of chocolate, hazelnuts dipped in honey, and tiny cakes shaped like acorns filled with cream and topped with purple frosting.

"Wow." Was the only thing that could escape his watering mouth.

"I take pride in my work." Bakura smirked, before gently shoving Yami into the dining room. He turned to leave but Yami stopped him. "Aren't you having any?"

Bakura paused and raised an eyebrow, before remembering this was only Yami's first night here. "I can't."

"Why not?" Yami asked curiously.

"I literally can't, I can't leave the kitchen; I'm bound to the hearth." Bakura replied, sounding angry and almost sad. The white haired spirit didn't give Yami time to answer, and turned to leave again, but Yami jumped in front of him.

"Hold on." He blocked the door before turning to the rest of the confused staff. "You guys can't honestly expect me to eat all that by myself, right? I assumed you were making enough for everyone?"

Bakura blinked. Yami's determination refused to falter. Again the cook smirked and crossed his arms. "You got a good heart, lad, but we don't need to eat. We're ghosts, technically, what would be the point?"

Yami rolled his eyes. "So, you can still eat right? Haven't you ever just done something because you can? You know just for the hell of it, and not because you need too?" Yami smiled. "I mean, when was the last time any of you actually enjoyed your own cooking?"

"Over a hundred years ago." Bakura answered flatly, not catching the rhetorical question. He resisted the urge to urge to snort at the stunned look on Yami's face.

"Then what are we waiting for." Instead of questing him, Yami strolled back to the table and sat down at the table. "Now come on, the foods looks delicious, and I already know there's possible way I can finish all this by myself, so feel free. I'd don't mind. I like company."

"Sure." Jaden hopped onto the table and grabbed a cake before plopping it in his mouth, and swooning.

"Hold it, you." Bakura plucked the Kuriboh by its wings. "At least have the decency to wait, I didn't go through the all the trouble of cooking just so you could, eat it all in five minutes." Bakura scolded, while everyone else either grabbed a chair or followed Jaden's example and took a seat on the table.

Bakura dropped Jaden next to Syrus and leaned against the table, before grabbing one of the cakes and took a bite. "So, Yami, what would you like?" he asked.

Yami's eyes scanned the mountains of food again, already feeling his stomach singing. "I'll have a bit of everything."

Yami had never cared much for the laws of physics, but at this point he decided, who ever said matter couldn't be created or destroyed clearly never met Jaden or Jesse before. In the span of a few short seconds, the two cat-sized creatures had devoured over half the food that was left over, after everyone claimed their meal. Not only had they made all that food vanish in less than a few seconds, neither had gained single ounce. Just where did they put it all?

"We've given up trying to find the answer." Yami jumped and turned to Syrus, who sat perched next to his goblet, munching on a purple frosting cake and a strawberry. "Jesse and Jaden are eating machines. Bakura says the day he leaves either one of them in the kitchen unattended is the day he lets us all starve to death." The dragon laughed before burying his face in the strawberry's crimson flesh.

"Damn straight!" Bakura nodded, sinking his unusually long canine into a juicy red apple.

Yami chuckled before stealing another cake, while the two boys fought over the last of the cream-filled sweets. He couldn't believe how much he was enjoying himself. Everything unhappy and frustrating about the previous evening just seemed like a bad dream. Like he'd gone to sleep in a nightmare and woken up in a dream.

Once everyone had eaten—or rather devoured—their choice of food, they'd began bombarding Yami with questions about himself, each one of them curious to learn everything about their new "guest" as they called him. He'd given up trying to persuade them not to call him "Master Yami" and decided it was just something he'd have to get used to. The younger staff and Serenity were all careful to avoid anything that related to his brothers, which he was grateful for. Despite his unusual happiness, the ache of never seeing his family again left a heavy hollow weight in his chest.

"You mentioned you like books, correct Yami?' Serenity asked, sipping a glass of desert whine.

Yami nodded. "Yugi and I used to spend all our time in the bookstore. We'd stop by Mahado's store whenever we got a chance."

Jaden perked up and let go of the cake he'd been holding, sending Jesse flying backwards and almost off the table. "We should show you the library then, right Chazz?" He turned to the dragon, who was busy,licking the last of the meat off a drumstick.

"Of course, it's on the second floor, anyway."Chazz explained. "Once you understand the layout of this place, you can go there whenever you wish."

"You have a library?" Yami asked, excited. "Where is it?"

Chazz held up a clawed hand. "We'll show you tomorrow, we've gone through the whole day already." Yami blinked before looking around for some form of clock in the room. An antique grandfather clock in the hallway, chimed to life, alerting the staff it was already 9 o'clock.

"Wow, I guess time really does fly when you're having fun."Yami chuckled, and continued to socialize with the younger staff. Jesse, Jaden and Syrus, all delighted in asking Yami questions about himself, especially when he let it slip that he liked to write.

It rather surprised everyone else. It was almost too impossible to believe this spry youth was the same rebellious and feisty teen who'd all but sent their Master into a proxy the night before.

Chazz suddenly stopped eating and jumped from the table. In a flash of sapphire he returned to his human mask and grabbed a large tray and began piling it with enough food for at least two people. He clenched the silver handles and turned towards the stairs.

"Where are you going Chazz?" Yami asked curiously.

"Upstairs." Chazz answered flatly. "The Master didn't come down for dinner, so he must be hungry."

A sudden rage filled Yami and he snorted, remembering the argument they'd had earlier.

Chazz turned to the new guest and offered a small smile. "He's really not bad, Yami. Except when he's in a mood, but really, he's not bad. You'll forgive him when you get to know him. Until then, have a good night, and do try and get some sleep." The black-haired boy smiled before existing the room and strolling up the staircase, Yami hadn't noticed before.

Yami's ever narrowed but he said nothing. "I'll forgive Seto, when he's deflated that thick skull of his." He mumbled.

Bakura couldn't help but laugh. "We all wish that, but if you want that to happen, you'll have to do it yourself. If you plan to though, I wish you luck. The Master's a tough nut to crack, but like any nut, the truth is always hidden beneath the shell."

Yami recognized the riddle, but didn't care.

"You'll have to forgive him, Yami." Ryou sighed. "Seto, I mean, it's just been so long, and he hasn't really interacted well with people for…quite some time. Sometimes he forgets what it's like to be kind. I'm sure you can understand, Yami. Haven't you ever felt so out of place it was like everyone was against you for reasons you could not understand?"

Yami almost chocked on the wine he'd been drinking. He couldn't answer, but Ryou's words echoed in his mind like a guilty conscious smacking its master for an act of stupidity. He didn't answer and instead just looked at the floor. For a moment he wondered if it was Seto or him Ryou'd been talking about….It just clicked in Yami's mind that had been the second time he'd actually used the Dragon King's name.

The last chapter of the fairy tale repeated in his head, and for the first time in two days he had to remind himself it wasn't just a fairy tale, but a true story…a true story about a hundred years of isolation. He shook his head and tried to dispel the thoughts. He didn't want to think about that right now. He didn't want to spoil his good mood with thoughts of guilt. He didn't regret his and Seto's argument earlier. Tragedy or not, he reacted the way anyone would, he told himself.

Yami sighed and rose from his chair, causing everyone in the room to stair. "I'm going to head to bed, if that's alright." He gave a small smile.

"We'll go with you." Jaden volunteered, flapping his wings and resting on Yami's shoulder. "Please?"

Yami chuckled and nodded, before offering an arm to Jesse and Syrus. Jesse took advantage of the gesture, climbed up his arms and sat on Yami's opposite shoulder. Syrus just smiled and sat in Yami's hand. He was the size of a cat, but felt much lighter than one.

"Are you three coming? He asked, Bakura, Ryou and Serenity.

"No thank you." Ryou replied. "We should clean this up, and don't you dare volunteer to help, this is the only time of the night Bakura and I get to be alone." Ryou smiled, teasingly, thought the smirk on Bakura's face suggested a few not so innocent intentions. Yami shuddered, before turning to Serenity. "Coming?"

Serenity giggled, but shook her head. "I have to warn my brother and older sister. They and the rest of the staff will want to meet you tomorrow."

Yami nodded, before leaving the room, and asking his new friends the quickest way to the East Wing. The three were more than happy to point out at least three different directions at once.

No one noticed the shadow standing on the balcony overlooking the dining hall. Or the sapphire eyes transfixed on the spry, smiling form of their new guest, and the equally laughing faces of his staff. Or the shimmer of silver as he retreated to the safety of the shadows hoping to let them have their moment of happiness, undisturbed. No one, but Chazz noticed the flash of blue retreating towards the West Wing.

*

Chazz stopped outside a familiar door of dark rosewood, engraved with the stunning carving of a dragon. It stood tall and proud as beautiful as it was dangerous, powerful wings twice its length flexed to its full length empowering the border of the doors. The craftsmen who carved such a piece deserved a lot of credit. Chazz shifted the weight of the tray to one hand, and used his free one to knock the silver door knockers.

Without an answer, the doors unlocked themselves with a loud click, and the shifting of gears like a clock. Swiftly, but gently, Chazz turned the door knob and gently pushed the large doors open. He was met with darkness, lit only by the crack of light from the hallway.

"Master?" He called gently, before entering the room and carefully closing it behind him. Only a few candles and the bright silver glow of a music box in the corner lit the room. Shredded tapestries hung from the walls, and tattered sapphire curtains covered the glass doors leading to a balcony. A table covered in white cloth sat top raised platform. On the table sat the Master's most treasured items, which Chazz dared not touch.

The once grand room was caked with dust and cobwebs. Age had left its mark upon the room. The only thing untouched by the dust was the huge canopy bed in the corner: the frame made from cast iron and the comforter and pillows were an assortment of shades of blue and silver. The curtains around it were tattered and faded with age, but they'd done their job keeping age from touching the bed. The curtain was open and Chazz could see his master sitting there, wrapped in his enormous wings.

"Master?" he called a little louder. The Dragon King finally acknowledged his presents, and raised his wings to see him.

Chazz gave him a small smile, before setting the tray down on of the broken tables surrounded by furniture. "It's time for dinner." Of all the servants in the castle Chazz was one of the only two allowed such familiarity with their Master. He wasn't sure if it was because he'd been there the longest, or if it was because the Dragon King himself was the one who brought him there and offered him sanctuary, but Chazz accepted that gift with pride and made no effort to take advantage of it.

Seto smiled, and rose from his seat; his large wings fell behind him like a cape---or a fallen angel. "Shouldn't you be making sure our guest doesn't get lost?" Seto teased, half-playfully.

Chazz just smiled. "Don't worry, Syrus is with him. I'm not foolish enough to leave him alone with Jesse and Jaden. Even you wouldn't do something _that _cruel."

"Hahahah" Seto chuckled a bit. "You put too much faith in me, Chazz. You, the boys, all of you, do. Anyone else would have, _should have_, given up on me long ago. _I_'d have already given up on myself by now."

"Don't say that!" Chazz said, too outspokenly, but it was too late to stop himself. "You don't have _enough _faith in yourself, Seto. You're one of the strongest people I've ever met. I refuse…"He paused; emotion chocked his voice, making words impossible to come out. "I refuse to believe that man who saved me can't be saved himself…" he finally choked out, though it hardly measured up to what he wanted to say. Again, words failed him.

Seto's neutral mask refused to fade, and for a brief second Chazz feared what would happen next. Instead, Seto ran his clawed hand through the boy's transparent, silky tresses, and Chazz relaxed.

"You really think I don't want to believe that?" Seto asked rhetorically. "Do you really think, I hadn't thought of that when three boys literally dropped on my door step? I hope and I pray and yet instead of an angel I get this brazen, obnoxious slip of a boy who can't hold his tongue or keep his temper." Seto chuckled, but Chazz knew it was in no manner humorous. "I'm done, Chazz. I won't pretend to be or act like I am anything other than what I am. I know you don't believe that is true, but that is only because you're too loyal to me, you, the boys, Bakura, Ryou, Marik, Mai, even Joseph for reasons I will never understand."

Chazz opened his mouth to protest but Seto just smiled and said "Go to bed, Chazz." You're friends miss you, and I'm sure Yami would enjoy your company." Chazz didn't argue. He just nodded and offered a 'goodnight' before leaving his master alone.

When the boy was gone, Seto turned to the tray on the table and with the weave of his arm it crashed against the wall with the loud clang of metal and silver.

"You put too much faith in me, Chazz." He scowled to himself. "You all do. It'll only be that much more of a disappointment when I fail you all." He growled with disgust at himself before turning to the table in front of the balcony and gazed at the sapphire and gold music box resting peacefully upon the white cloth. He picked it up and turned the key gently; watching as the top rose and the tiny figurine of a crystal dragon began to dance while the sweet chime that always calmed him began to play.

One hand braced the rim of the table, the other covering his face with his a silver scaled paw. The peace was married to the memory of those who'd given up everything for him; the ones he'd lost. The ones he failed to protect…

"It's hopeless…"

* * *

Phew! Am i glad this is done. My only concern with this chap, was I was afriad I made Bakura a bit OOC, so let me know how i did with that. Originally I was gonna have Yami meet the rest of the staff too, but I decided to leave that for next chap.

As far as Seto and Chazz go, Chazz is one of my fav characters cuz I found a lot of paralleles between him and Seto, and I can see them communicating like this, because they both sort of went through the same thing going up (cept Chazz had two assholes to deal with and no one to help him, and they were his brothers! grr)So anyway, that's why Chazz is the only other person other then Zane who gets to see the real Kaiba.

Next time: Yami meets the rest of the staff, but I'm not sure what else, I might possibly do a snippet with Rebecca when Atem and Yugi get back but I'm not sure. Its all in planning stages now.

End Chapter Notes:

Ryou: The Cook and Head Server, who runs the kitchen and serving staff, and both cooks alongside Bakura and makes sure all the food is prepared. Very passionate about his job and loves going out of the way to help others; Bakura's husband; spirit

Bakura: The Head Chef, who runs the kitchen with Ryou and decided what is prepared and made for each meal for the day while Ryou makes sure it's carried out. No food is created in the castle—save for snacks—without going through him first; because he's bound to the hearth he can't leave the kitchen or the dining halls unless summoned or Kaiba (or the Master of the House) allows it; Ryou's husband; (I was stumped for what to do with Bakura until finally I went with the bat wings.

Serenity: Mai's Apprentice; overseer of the clothes and in charge of choosing and deciding which colors, fabrics and designs are made into clothes and which outfits are created; Joey's younger sister


	9. Chapter 8: The Greetings

Yes!! I FINALLY got the newest chap of Dragon Rose posted! I apologize in advance for the three month long wait but I had reason: One I was determined to finish Let Me Be Your wings, both posting it and getting it updated, laptop problems and drama---that has already been dealt with so no one panic--drained me, projects, midterms and vacation was also a problem. And of course i had really bad writers block on this chap, but Monday I just started writing this chap to distract me from the gloomy weather, and the slowness of the day and just to calm down over stuff that I didn't really need to stress over and it just formed, and I love how I managed to get back to Rebecca and that whole scene.

This chapter turned into more of a filler then anything else, but it was necessary to get the rest of the characters into the scene and also setting up everything for the rest of the story. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Yugioh, Yugioh GX and all its characters belong to Kazuki Takahashi, the idea for this story was inspired by Beauty and the Beast which belongs to Disney, anything not mentioned in either of those belongs to me!

* * *

Chapter 8: The Greetings

_Something was different. _

_Everything was the same: the fields, the castle, the garden, but something wasn't right._

_It made his bones shiver. He took a hesitant step into the clearing in the circle of roses—only for the roses to suddenly move, clumping together on top of the other like a wall of blooms and thorns. Vines convoluted around the trunks of suddenly forming trees. They parted ways as he passed, as if forming a guiding path._

_He took a hesitant step forward, and then another, then another, past the clearing of roses, watching as the blue and violet blooms faded more and more, leaving only bare black trees to guide him, like the skeleton of a forest in winter. Everything mingled and meshed together and he couldn't tell where the forest ended and where the gate and the path began._

_Cold iron brushed his hands; black rust dusted his fingers as while his own danced over the opening gates. The majestic castle stood in the background. Slowly, the white faded to gray; the lights in the windows began to dim; the cold faded._

_Another step past the gate and the scenery melted away, replaced with the faded reality of a dark hallway. The closed curtains shrouded the room in shadow, making everything seem darker and more foreboding, but he didn't stop. Instead, he continued; each step held more determination than the last._

_He didn't notice when he'd entered another room, until the doors slammed shut behind him making him jump. Darkness and light combated one another for dominance of the room; though darkness seemed to be wining, tiny rays of light, illuminated dark walls. Burgundy curtains were ripped and slashed to ribbons. Furniture had been broken and smashed by a powerful force, their parts littered the floor like broken toy pieces. Dust caked the tables and sheets covering the furniture that had survived the wrath of whatever destroyed the rest._

_The sound of wings hummed behind the shadows, making him dash around—only to find nothing there. Another swoop circled him like a shark. He turned on his heels but each time the dancing shadow was one step ahead of him. His eyes focused, catching something amiss in the darkness._

_He turned around just as the sound of wings vanished in the shadows and then he saw them: shimmering like two lone glistening stars against the darkest midnight were the most stunning ice-blue eyes he'd ever seen. They'd followed him, he knew that now. Watching him move, waiting for him to come here, and leading him to this point._

_Crimson bore into the brightest sapphire, desperately trying to penetrate the mask cast upon them and see the truth, but the owner of those eyes kept the mask in place like an impenetrable wall of ice. _

_Then, suddenly, sapphire bore into crimson rendering the owner of the rose-colored orbs helpless; completely frozen by the eyes that pierced his very soul. His entire body started shaking as those eyes left the shadows, slowly becoming closer and closer, though all but the eyes were hidden by the darkness._

_He faintly heard the sound of wings in the background, and something cutting through the air like a whip without the crack. He tried to take a step back, but found his feet rooted to the ground, his entire body trembled but not in fear, but something else. Something he couldn't place, though his mind riled to know the secret._

_Each step brought those eyes closer; he didn't notice something slithering up his leg rooting him in place, or the cold objects dancing across his hips. His wrists were suddenly bound together and raised above his head and his back pressed gently against the wall._

_Confusion and bewilderment suddenly confused him as he suddenly became aware of his situation. Bewilderment and fear, replaced the fire of his spirit. He closed his eyes and started thrashing but a gentle touch to his cheek froze him in place, fingers graced his chin lifting his head. He opened his eyes and met those brilliant eyes once again._

_The mask from before vanished, leaving behind the brilliant vulnerable emotions of the soul beneath visible to the rose-eyed youth. Bewilderment swirled through his heart and mind, emotions he'd never felt before burst like multiple sparks he'd never felt before and that both scared and confused him. However, each time he expressed a sign of distress, the blue-eyds shadow, stroked his cheek and met his eyes, instantly calming him._

_A small smile graced the shadow's face, as visible as those brilliant eyes, as they slowly leaned closer to the rose-eyed lad he held captive._

"_Please…" he breathed against the lad's cheek, making him shiver. "Be my key…"He felt the warm breath against his lips, and a soft touch against his nose, cheek and lips. "Set me free…"_

Yami awoke with a start, temporarily forgetting where he was. He tried to sit but found himself pinned in place by a heavy weight on his chest. His first instinct was to panic, but he controlled himself and slowly looked down at the weight constricting his breathing...only to find a passed out Kuriboh sprawled out on top of his torso, snoring loudly.

"Damn, Jay" He gently scooped the slumbering creature in one arm, and used the other to push himself into a sitting position. "You have to start taking dieting seriously." He teased rearranging the furry creature on his lap. His back arched as he stretched his arms and back, before falling back against the pillows. Despite his desire to hate his new home, he couldn't recall the last time he'd slept so well.

And it seemed neither had his companions. He chuckled noticing the sprawled Kuriboh on his lap, the dragon curled up like a cat on the end of the bed, the blue fox-like Carbuncal blissfully snoring on one of the spare pillows and the baby dragonroid curled up in a nest he made of the comforter. Once the quintet had found Yami's room through the endless labyrinth of hallways the elder insisted they stay with him, if only to ease his boredom. He'd managed to worm it out of them that many of the stories surrounding the Dragon castle's former monarch were true, and that each servant had a special position among the castle. He'd been especially grateful to Syrus for the lovely room upon learning the small skynette was the Servant of Décor while Jaden was the Servant of Entertainment—who hadn't failed to mention he shared Yami's love of games. The three had been awake talking for an hour, by the time Chazz arrived. At first the little dragon seemed reluctant to intrude on the conversation, but Yami convinced him otherwise and before long it was as if the five had known each other for years.

He hadn't recalled when he fallen asleep or who had fallen asleep first, all he'd known was he never felt so…accepted.

He smiled and shivered. Realizing he was naked under the blankets, he looked around for the clothes he'd discarded. Instead he found a neatly folded pile of silk and a single parchment written in trademark sapphire ink.

Forgetting Jaden was on his lap, he leaned over and froze when the Kuriboh rolled over, and was torn between laughing or sighing when the furry creature clenched the comforter in its little green claws and snored loudly. He snatched the parchment and scanned it over, not letting the blanket slip from his grasp.

_Yami_

_I see you've acquainted yourself with my staff; though unfortunately not the one I insisted you acquaint yourself with first. I've already told the tailor and seamstresses to meet you as soon as you awake and have provided you with some necessities. I suggest you put them on and bathe before their arrival in order to avoid any unnecessary embarrassment._

_ Seto_

_P.S. I've already asked Mai, to have that coat fitted for you, I do hope you enjoy it._

Again Yami was torn between growling in anger or embarrassment. It didn't take him long to realize the "necessities" his host had provided were a burgundy silk robe and a pair of undergarments. Against himself, he slipped them on and tied the robe tightly, feeling the tightness against his stomach, before he lied back against the bed with his legs dangling forward, the sinking of his weight barely touching the slumbering spirits.

"What have I gotten myself into?" He wondered, feeling his eyes flutter closed.

"Ah, good your awake" His eyes flew open and he sat up with such haste the sudden bounce of the bed, shook all four spirits into wakefulness. Yami's eyes widened as a snickering pale-blue skinned woman with long magenta hair and pointed ears stood before him. Her arms crossed over her chest, though instead of hands and feet, talons replaced them and purple wings erupted from her arms. "I was starting the Master had to kiss you to wake you up."

Too shocked to think clearly and unsure what else to do, Yami screamed. "AH!"

The harpy blinked, before taking in her current form and laughed brightly. "Sorry hun, I forgot." She snickered before a pale lavender flash surrounded her, turning her skin pale pink, her straight hair into cascading golden waves and her previous sharp eyes in to large amethysts, the color rivaling Yugi's, and instead of wings a lavender dress and a strapless white corset covered her elegant, flawless form.

"That better?" She smiled. Still frozen and unsure how to react, Yami nodded, mutely. "Uh…who are you?" he asked, torn between confusion and shock.

"Mai Valentine: Mistress of the Wardrobe, at your service." She smiled proudly with a slight bow in her step. "And you must be Yami, then, our new guest?"

"Yes." Yami replied, while the four spirits on the bed faded to their spiritual forms, stretching and rubbing their eyes of the mist of sleep.

"Mai, what are you doing here?" Syrus yawned, cutely. "Did Serenity send you?"

"Relax, Syrus. I'm here because our guest needs to meet the rest of his staff and the Master wanted to make sure we took care of his wardrobe." She smiled taking in Yami's attire. "As lovely as you look in that hun, you can't go around in nothing but a bathrobe can you?" she leaned forward with a playful wink and made a gesture to Yami's attire.

Realizing for the first time he was still wearing only the silk robe, Yami went crimson. "Do you mind!" he snapped, though the hard blush on his face made the threat impossible to take it seriously, and pulled the comforter around him.

Mai just laughed. "My sister was right, you are feisty." Mai smiled and patted his head, earning a growl of annoyance from Yami. "Good; we need someone lively around here." She smiled, before floating over to the wardrobe and pulled out a large, fluffy white towel and gently tossed it to him. Before Yami had time to question her, she grabbed his arm and pulled him with such haste he almost stumbled out of the bed much to his embarrassment.

"Hey! What are you-?" he demanded before suddenly finding himself shoved into a joint room he hadn't noticed upon his first arrival. It hadn't taken him to long to realize it was a chamber room.

"You get into the bath and wash up while I get the rest of my co-workers so we can get everything prepared. What kind of hosts would we be if we let you go around in nothing but your skin? Now in you go." Mai spoke like a cross between a playful servant and a mischievous mother—and at this point he wasn't sure if he should be annoyed, angered or embarrassed.

Too confused to notice the room, he leaned against the door and released a sigh he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Growing up and having been raised to be headstrong and independent, the overly eccentric maid suddenly mothering him felt bewilderingly alien. Techniques for dealing with domestic servants, he was required to learn when his family had lived in England for a time, felt completely inappropriate for the eccentric staff that insisted on seeing to his domestic needs.

A loud knock made him jump.

"Yami, are you alright?" He recognized Sy's voice.

"Yes, I'm fine." He replied calmly. "Just…not used to all this attention." He admitted.

Someone snickered then he heard Jaden. "Sorry about that, you'll have to forgive Mai; she's always like this when we have guests."

"She likes to take her job as Mistress of the Wardrobe very seriously." Sy added. "Do you need any help?"

"I'll be alright." He replied, deciding to finally get down to the actual task of bathing, realizing he hadn't had a proper bath in almost two days.

He placed the towel on a wicker basket in the corner. The washroom carried an identical baroque style to the room it joined. The smooth floor beneath his feet was a pale gold and cream mesh like wisps blending together and felt perfectly smooth, probably marble he assumed. His eyes scanned the rest of the room. The room itself wasn't a rectangular shape but curved somewhat and composed of four interlocking parts. The two side walls were pale yellow to match the floor but curved slightly curved to meet front and back walls like a cylinder. A large changing wall with bronze curtains stood against wall with an Oakwood table on either side lit with a dark metal candelabrum. On the opposite wall, adjacent to him, an enormous full-length black filigree mirror hung. Next to him against the only flat wall was a large black-framed vanity with a glass top and a silver mirror hanging above it. Several desk-like stands for a variety of brushes, perfume and fragrance bottles, herbs and other toiletries, a toilet sat in the far corner; the wall was polished black stone

The opposite side of the room was shaped like a cylinder indention of polished black stone in a brick-like pattern. The gold and crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling reflected brilliantly in the obsidian surface. A large window embedded in the stone let light into the room. In front of it, sat an enormous porcelain tub with black clawed feet that sank into the stone of the floor. It was large enough for Yami to lay out his entire body, with brass pipes coiling from the floor up the side and around a bronze wheel and over the side, for adding water.

The steam rising from the murky surface and the mountains of bubbles revealed someone had already set the bath for him. Smiling, Yami undid his robe and set it and the towel on the vanity, before climbing in and sinking into the warm water. The soothing heat relaxed his entire body, until he sank beneath the surface. His hair wisped around him and his entire body felt like his was floating. He closed his eyes and let the stress he'd endured the past few days melt away. Lost in the serene, he pouted when he felt something tap his head. He shot up and through his head back, his hair falling back like a veil, sending a wave of water behind him.

"Wha-?" he didn't get to finish his retort once he turned around, too shocked at the sight behind him. Mai, still in her human form and his four servants, in their spirit forms, stood drenched and dripping. Biting back a laugh, Yami opened his mouth to ask what had happened, until he remembered himself resurfacing, sending a wave of water behind him—or rather _at _who was behind him.

"Sorry about that." He chocked a snicker, watching as Jaden and Jesses tried to shake themselves dry—the result making Jaden's hair stand up like a puffball. Unable to hold it back any longer, Yami burst out laughing.

"Hey!" the kuriboh glared, though it was impossible to see through the storm of fuzz.

"You could've warned us before you decided to get us all wet." Chazz snapped, drying himself off on Yami's towel and doing the same thing to Syrus.

"Oh leave him be." Mai smiled, brushing her damp blond hair behind her, before turning to her new guests. "The boys just wanted to show you how to get more hot water." She explained, flying over to the bronze pipes at the end of the tub and turned one of the bronze wheels. A loud gurgling echoed through the walls, followed by a wrenching sulphurous stench that made Yami wince. "What the hell is that?" he demanded.

"Natural hot springs, there's a bunch of them under this castle." Jaden explained, managing to tame his fur. "The smell goes away after a while. The Master always said having permanent hot water was worth the smell. Or was that the old master; I don't remember."

Before Yami could question further, a wave of hot water was suddenly uplifted over his head, followed by a sudden rush of fingers and scrubbing across his mass of hair. "Hey! What the?"

"Good lord you have so much hair." Mai ignored him and continued soaping him down, paying particular attention to the large mane of hair that had fallen up top his head. "Chazz go make sure Malik and the girls don't go overboard, Jesse get me another brush, Jaden stop worrying about you're fur and get over here." The second the kuriboh hit the floor another wave of water drenched him as Yami gallantly battled the blond women intent on skinning him alive.

"Hold still." Mai snapped, battling Yami's blows!

"I can wash myself thank you." Yami growled, only to be silenced by Mai up heaving another basin of water over his head.

"I'm really sorry about this, Yami." Syrus apologized, shaking his tiny dragon claws. "I told you Mai takes her job seriously." He tried to mollify the growling teen. Before Mai could attack him again, Yami arose from the tub with his hands balled into fists at his sides, and howling "That's enough, thank-oaf!" A towel in his face silenced him.

"Have you no shame!" Mai scolded, motioning to the teen's naked form standing in the middle of the tab. "Or have you never learned modesty."

Yami glared at her as he wrapped the towel around himself. "Why should I be ashamed of my body? Besides, you're the one who charged in here after I said I didn't need help, thank you." He replied, trying to be civil.

Mai ran a hand through her bangs. Something between a smile and a smirk curled across her face. "I never thought I'd live to see the day Bakura was right—you are feisty." She smiled, and handed him his robe. "Sorry about that, hun, but you know as Mistress of the Wardrobe I can't have out guest going around covered in grime." She answered a bit milder. "Once you're finished, the rest of my staff would like to meet you—and fix your wardrobe."

"I'm fine, really." Yami replied, unused to the attention.

"Sweetie, you're in a towel, and the seamstresses and tailor will be absolutely crushed if you denied them a chance at a new project for the first time in a hundred years.

Sighing in defeat, Yami nodded. "Alright, alright, you win Miss Mai."

"_Mrs_. actually, but please just call me Mai, hun, Mrs. makes me sound old." She insisted, flashing a playful smile.

Yami smirked "Only if you can convince everyone else here to just call me Yami, and not Master Yami." He crossed his arms. "Since word seems to spread extremely fast here."

Mai just laughed. "Of course, hun, and you can't blame us, you're the best news we've had in over a century. Now make haste!" She smiled, before dashing from the room, scooping up Jesse, Syrus and a still drenched Jaden on her way out.

Finally alone, Yami dried himself off as best he could, tossed the towel in the basket by the tub and reapplied his robe. He grabbed a brush off the vanity and did his best to detangle the mess of his hair. Once he undid the tangles, he shook his head throwing his bangs into a jagged forelock. Once dry, his spikes returned to their natural shape. Feeling refreshed he took a breath and braced himself for the chaos no doubt waiting for him on the other side. He exhaled and with a swift flick of the wrist, he reentered his new room.

His mouth nearly hit the floor. Piles and piles of fabric sin a plethora of colors, textures and designs covered the floors and desk and stacked in piled that almost touched the ceiling even scattered across the bed. A box of various spools of multi-colored threads, some with needles in them and pin cushions sat on the desk and vanity. Another box of ribbons and other fabrics sat on the dresser, and in the hands of a tall girl in a bright purple, green and turquoise dress with matching wings sprouting from her back. For a second her skin was white and her hair was in two enormous purple curls, but the second he blinked, her wings vanished and her skin was pink and her hair was a short mop of brown curled around her bright blue eyes. He recognized Serenity by her long red hair, who was laughing with the girl while holding a box filled with various silver objects that looked like scissors.

A lanky boy, with rich brown skin that contrasted with the spiky mane of white-blond hair and the pale lavender shirt and cream pants he wore, set a pedestal in the middle of the room. Several necklaces of measuring tape circled his neck and wrists, while a leather belt with various slots that held scissors and other tools adorned his hips. He whipped the sweat from his brow revealing a pair of sharp lavender eyes. Mai was standing in front of the open wardrobe, pulling out and tossing various things over her shoulder. Syrus, Jaden, Jesse and Chazz all sat on the rim of the bed in order to avoid becoming lost in the chaos.

"What the hell happened here?" Yami blinked to overcome by surprise to say anything else. All eyes suddenly fell on him. Serenity and the other girl dashed across the room, and grabbed him before he could escape and dragged him across the room to the pedestal, chattering and giggling.

"You were right, Serenity, he is perfect! Oh I can already imagine the wardrobe we can create." The brunette girl squeaked.

"See, I told you, Tea." Serenity agreed, while the two gently dropped Yami on the bed, dividing the spirits currently occupied on it. Before they could do anything else, Yami through them off and demanded harshly. "Who the hell are you and what do you think you're doing!"

"I'm the seamstress, of course." The brunette, Tea, replied, clearly angered by his brazen tone. "Now hold still and let us do our job." She ordered, grabbing a piece of measuring tape.

"You will do no such thing." Yami protested. "I apologize if this puts a damper on you 'fun' miss, but given the fact this is _my _wardrobe you're making, I think my opinion matters far more than yours." Yami stated boldly although sarcasm leaked into the beginning.

Tea looked at him like a child suddenly being scolded. Serenity burst out laughing.

"I warned you that he was fiery, Tea," Mai said over her shoulder, before finally closing the wardrobe. The brunette growled and opened her mouth to retort, when the boy pulled her behind him.

"That's enough ladies; you're going to smother our guest with all this attention." He half scolded, half joked, though Tea pouted angrily anyway. "And our guest clearly doesn't like it." He added before turning his attention to the still glaring Yami, and offered a hand for him to shake. "Sorry about them, they're just excited. I'm Malik, the Tailor, you've already met my seamstress Tea, and Mai's apprentice, Serenity." He introduced, gesturing to both girls.

"I'm Yami." The teen smiled, shaking the spirit's hand. "Haven't I seen you before?" he asked. "In the tower."

Malik blinked then shook his head. "No, that's Marik, my husband; he's the Captain of Guard. He was only there because the Master needed him." Though he hid it well, Yami caught the sadness in his eyes, but before he could comment, Malik beat him to it. "But enough about that, let's get your wardrobe started shall we?" he clapped his hands together and undid the necklaces of tape.

Yami sighed in annoyance and defeat. "Listen, I appreciate all this really, I do, but you don't have to—"

"Kido-" Malik cut him off. "You're wearing a bathrobe. Ryou said you were independent, but relax, we do this for a living, and I _finally _get to do something new for a change." He smirked giddily at the new challenge, while gently shoving Yami on top of the pedestal at the mercy of Serenity and Tea measuring every part of his body.

"Amen! Lord knows Seto hardly lets us do anything for him anymore." Tea snorted, and growled when Yami fidgeted away from her, glaring. "Will you hold still!"

"I can tell you my measurements myself you know." Yami protested.

"Thank you, but we like to stay as accurate as possible." Malik explained. "Now anything specific I need to know, before we decide what colors and fabrics to use and what to make?" he asked scanning over Yami's body and how the burgundy robe clung to it as well as how well the color suited him. "Although, I'm liking a wardrobe of red for you. And I'm also assuming you don't like anything too loose or tight, but something form-fitting? I could also whip up a couple of those trench coats for you if you like?"

Yami shrugged. "Red is my favorite color, but I've never been picky when it comes to what I wear, I just wear what I like." He explained.

Malik's smirk curled at the corners, and he cracked his fingers together. "Then I got just the thing." He smirked. "I have a talent for knowing what people need." Once the girls finished measuring Yami, the tailor turned to Mai with a smirk. The blond women smiled, as if the two were speaking a secret language and set out across the labyrinth of fabrics. "Well, red is a definite for you." He pulled out a sheet of scarlet silk and held it up to Yami's face. "Perfect, matches your eyes, and I like that burgundy on you, and crimson as well." He said pulling out the respective color and then choosing the fabrics. "Silk is perfect for light weather but in this chilly weather you're going to want something light and flexible, but still warm," he tossed several different velvets and expandable fabrics over his shoulder, the objects all floated and unfolded in the air while he pulled out his scissors and cut them with smooth strokes.

"And gold too!" Serenity added, turning to Yami. "It matches your hair, and I think it'll compliment your skin tone as well."

"And black too." Tea added, pulling out a black satin material. "And and we can't forget blue! The master loves blue."

"Yes, but it can't be too bright." Mai commented, turning to Yami and summing him up quickly. "Perhaps a more medium or darker blue."

"And purple as well!" Serenity added.

"Materials, ladies! Materials!" Malik howled over his shoulder. "Do you have any specific preferences for pants, Yami?"

"Huh." Yami blinked and thought for a moment. "Just as long as I can move in them, but I do like leather."

Malik nodded. "I can do that. We use leather for ridding pants and coats anyway." He said grabbing said materials. "Leather to keep the cold and water out with some soft, velvet or fleece on the inside and you'll have a perfect jacket," he said, and turned to Yami again taking his size into account. "I think I'll stick with a knee-length for you, it'll make you look taller. Any patterns or such we need to consider?"

Yami just chuckled. "Well I really liked the outfit I had yesterday; anything along those lines will work. I've always been one for the baroque style."

Malik looked like he was about to burst from happiness, and turned heavenward for thanks "Oh thank you merciful lord. This is going to be so much fun!" he said ecstatically, and dashed about the room grabbing several spools of thread, and fabrics.

Between the four of them the room was a tornado of colors and fabrics flying about the room to the point Yami fell back against his bed, suddenly consumed by a wave of dizziness. The four servants all dove behind him, seeking shelter from the torrent.

"Are they always like this?" Yami turned to the four spirits.

"We think it gets worse with old age." Chazz replied, as the four peeked their heads out. Sy screamed and dove behind Jaden when a spool of thread bolted past him.

A knock on the door suddenly froze the entire room: servants, clothing workers, fabrics and supplies and even Yami turned his attention to the door.

"Dinner!" Ryou announced, opening the door, in one hand and holding a large tray in the other. Behind him an enormous black dragon with blazing fiery eyes followed. In any other case Yami would've found the creature almost frightening but when it answered, balancing a tray of food and drink on each clawed hand, his tail and even his head and looking like it was mentally struggling to do so, Yami couldn't help but chuckle. He rose and took the tray from the dragon's head, and placed it on the bed—Just in time for a starving Jaden, Jesse and Syrus to devour it, while Chazz, valuing his life more than his stomach, remained on the side.

"Thanks. Preciate that." The dragon flashed a childish grin. A pale gold light formed around his obsidian skin, and in a pale flash a young man, with a mane of golden hair and rich chocolate eyes, dressed in black dragon-like armor similar to Seto's stood in his place. His tail, wings and claws remained. "You must be Yami. Welcome to Kaiba Castle. Name's Joseph." He welcomed, before turning to the servants. "Hey you three!" The three child servants jumped. "Quit stuffin ya faces and help me, we got a quest here!"

Blushing from their rude manners, Jesse and Jaden transformed and each grabbed a plate from Joey. Syrus grabbed the third and offered Yami a cup of tea.

Once his hands were free, Serenity embraced the man with a powerful hug. "Where have you been big brother?"

"Doin my job, sis." Joey, obviously Serenity's sibling she'd mention the previous day, smiled, running a hand through her hair.

"You still could've said hi love," Mai laughed proudly. Joey only snickered. Yami blinked, confused by the sudden display of emotion.

"Mai and Joey are married." Sy answered his unasked questions. "Don't worry about it, they're always like this."

"Another thing that gets worse with old age." Chazz teased, taking something from Ryou and handing it to Yami. "Here, Malik fixed these for you." The teen looked down surprised to find the clothed he'd worn when he first arrived clean and neatly folded in the boy's hands.

"Thanks." He smiled gratiously and started towards the joint bathroom, with a sigh.

"What's wrong?" Jaden asked, as he passed by. "And don't say nothing either, because I can see through it."

"It's true, Yami." Ryou added. "Jaden makes it his personal job to make sure no one in this castle is distressed."

"Unfortunately, he's had little success with Kaiba." Jesse laughed, than stopped when all eyes turned angrily to him. "What?" The bluenette shrank back. "Wha'd I say?"

Yami exhaled and offered up a small smile. "Look everyone, this is wonderful and I appreciate all this, I truly do, but…this all just so much to take in. I'm just not used to all of this." He admitted, hoping he didn't offend them. The staff had been nothing but kind to him since arrived and making his stay as bearable had possible. Failure to do so was the last thing he wanted them to think.

He tensed when he felt someone pat his head; his first instinct was annoyance for being treated like a child, but strangely it brought him comfort. He relaxed when he saw Joseph with a grin that just radiated happiness. "Hey no worries Yam, we understand. We're all just ecstatic to have ya here, besides you're our guest. What kinds hosts would we be if we didn't make ya feel welcome 'ere?"

"I have an idea." Chazz perked up. "How about we show you around the castle?"

"Really?" Yami perked up, liking the idea of an enormous castle to explore.

"Sure, even these guys it's gonna take some time to get all this stuff done," Joey gestured a thumb behind him to the working seamstresses and tailor. "And who wants to stay cooped up in here all night."

"And we did promise to show you the library." Syrus added.

"Well what are we waitin for?" Jessed jumped up. "Go get dressed and let's go!"

"Thank you!" Yami smiled excitingly and rushed off to change his clothes.

***

Miho swore she would lose whatever hearing she had left is she had to listen to Rebecca for another moment. The Duchess had done nothing but scream and scrub the mud and grime from her body since her dreadful mortification at the hands of Yami's brutal rejection. Looking back perhaps preparing an entire wedding _before _actually having the groom proposed wasn't such a splendid idea. Such a shame that dress would never see the sunlight again, though Miho felt a small comfort knowing the seamstresses had managed to rescue and convert most of the cloth.

"How could he do this to be Miho! How! How could he humiliate me!" the Duchess raved in a tear-chocked voice like a spoiled child who was being told 'no' for the first time. She paced back and forth furiously throughout the common room; the heels of her shoes pulled at the knitting of the carpets forming large holes. He gloved hands balled at her sides and she took heavy breathes in failed attempts to calm her raging nerves.

"Who does he think he is!" she screeched like a banshee throwing her hair back. "That boy, doesn't he realize how lucky, how _blessed _he is? I would never have had to be so bold if he just got over his shyness and proposed to me like he was supposed to! No one says no to me!"

"Yami is a fool for rejecting you, everyone knows that." Miho added, preparing another cup of tea for when her mistress' current mood swing finished.

The Duchess snatched the tea cup from the table and clenched it so hard the fragile china almost cracked in her hands. "Dismissed, rejected! Disgraced! Publicly humiliated!" she screeched throwing the cup into the fire watching with a dark satisfaction as it shattered into a million pieces and melted.

Shocked and slightly timid, Miho hesitated to hand her another cup. "More Tea, my lady?" Trepidation seeped into her voice which made Rebecca smile though Miho couldn't see it. Whoever said it was better to be loved then feared clearly never knew the luxuries of a high-ranking position. "No." she dismissed the girl's request harshly.

A timid knock on the door halted another howling. "Come in!" Rebecca demanded thundering. A servant entered the room, clearly intimidated. "My lady," she stuttered. "The eldest and youngest Mouto Lords are here to see you."

Both girls froze. "did they say what for? Speak!" Rebecca demanded.

"They said something about Mr. Yami and that they must speak with you urgently."

Rebecca smirked victoriously. "Come Miho! It seems Atem has finally seen the wisdom behind my request." The duchess practically radiated arrogance as she skipped from the room, with a timid Miho behind her, bunching up her abundance of skirts to keep from tripping.

Rebecca practically flew down the staircase, giddy to see what Atem had to tell her, but her pride, transformed to confusion once she met with the two boys. Both were still standing on the front porch, panting as if they'd been running for hours. Their clothes were a mess and splotched with mud and grime, and their hair was a mess. Neither of them looked as if they'd bathed or changed their clothes since they left.

Miho gasped. "Good god, what ever has happened to you too?" she asked clearly concerned while Rebecca only looked horrified that they'd dare come see her in such a state.

"Rebecca!" Yugi bolted to her before Atem could stop him! "You have to help, he-he-he has Yami! That thing has my anki! He's got him locked in a tower or a dungeon or somewhere!" the boy blabbered his voice choked with tears and fear to speak coherently.

Rebecca brushed him off her disgusted. "What the devil are you talking about, child." The Duchess snapped, though paid attention once she heard Yami's name somewhere in the babble.

"Who has Yami, Yugi?" Miho asked, placing gentle hands on his shoulders.

"A dragon!" He announced as if the very word would bring some unfortunate doom. "A cruel terrible dragon!"

The two girls froze. Their faces unreadable of emotion. Miho looked bewildered on how to answer. Just as Rebecca looked as if she would burst out laughing, despite how inappropriate it was, Atem stepped in!

"It's true! While we were lost in the storm, we found his castle, he trapped us there, Yami offered to exchange himself for our freedom! He's still trapped there with that monster Rebecca! We have to save him! You're the only one that can help us!" Atem hated himself at that moment, Hated himself for having no choice but to swallow his pride and morals and everything else his family taught him and go crawling back to the one person he despised more than anything on earth. But Yami was in danger and his pride could perish in the seventh layer of hell if it meant Yami's freedom and as much as he hated himself for doing so, he knew Rebecca's desire for Yami was the only hope they had.

But Rebecca only burst out laughing. "You're jesting right?" The girl laughed, pretending to brush a lock of hair behind her ear. "A dragon? I think you've finally read one too many fairy tales gentlemen. Now what is the real reason you're here?"

"It's the truth, Rebecca!" Yugi practically ripped at his hair in fear.

Miho wasn't sure if she should pity the boys or laugh as well. "Now, I'm, sure you're just imagining things, Yami probably just decided to follow you and got lost in the woods."

"No dammit!" Atem howled, shocking both women, both by the force behind his voice and his vulgar language! "My younger brother is the prisoner of a monster who is doing God knows what to him as we speak! I would never come to you of all people if it wasn't serious Rebecca now please, in the name of whatever goodness is still within you, help us rescue him!"

The force and truthfulness behind Atem's voice was shocking, but Rebecca looked past it the second she heard and insult. "I've heard enough of this!" the Duchess thundered, and snapped her fingers for her footmen. "Gentlemen please, escort these two gentlemen off my estate."

Like toy soliders, the two men took each of them by the arm and dragged them towards the door.

"Dammit, Rebecca, listen to us!" Atem roared, in anger and desperation.

"Please! Yami!" Yugi cried out all the way until the foot men slammed the doors in their faces.

"I think those to have finally fallen off the wagon." One of them joked.

"Aye, should've seen it coming." The other agreed as the tow bowed to their mistress and left.

"My goodness, I wonder what could've happened to cause such a scene." Miho wondered aloud.

"You heard the men," Rebecca snapped. "They've gone mad. Why else would they go about screaming about dragons and such."

"But they sounded so scared, and it isn't like Yami to run off is it would cause his family such distress." Miho countered, timidly. "I mean, my lady, he'd do anything for those boys."

Rebecca snorted at the remark, determined to remain angered. Even if the Moutos were telling the truth, it was only fitting she refused them; they were, after all, the only obstacle between her and her Yami after all.

A dark realization suddenly filled her mind, making her pause.

"My lady?" Miho asked, noticed her mistress sudden change in demeaner.

A shiver froze her to the core as she caught the duchess' smile: a smile that curled at the corners.

"You're absolutely right, Miho," Rebecca spoke with a dark, almost malicious laugh. "Yami _would _do _anything _for those boys."

* * *

Oh I am so evil! three guess what Rebecca has planned (and what will happen once it backfires in her face--evil smirk)

sorry Kaiba Fans but he wasn't in this chap, but rest assure he will DEFINITELY be in the next one, especially now that I have an actual idea one that not only sets up the rest of the plot for Yami but everyone else too!

Character Notes:

Joseph (Joey): Maitre d' of the Castle and Majordomo when Zane or the Master is absent. Mai's husband and Serenity's older brother and like Jaden and Zane sees to it that everyone in the castle is happy and taken care of (and goes out of his way to ensure so, even if it means disobeying Seto's orders creating a strain between them; Red-eyed black Dragon Spirit

Marik: The Captain of the Guard and in charges and runs all the security of the Manor and is in charge of its protection in times of crisis and battle; bound to the Gates and the guard towers unless summoned by Kaiba (or the Master of the house) grants him temporary leave; Malik's husband; Ra Armor spirit.

Mai: Mistress of the Wardrobe; in charge of all the clothes and overseas their manufacturing; she chooses which colors, fabrics and designs suit each person's needs; Joey's wife; Harpy Lady spirit

Malik: Tailor, in charge of making clothes and the seamstresses, he makes, fixes, and fits all the clothes in the manor; Marik's Husband; Ra armor spirit (also)

Tea- Seamstress, in charge of measurements and sewing under Malik and Mai, and plays around with different outfit designs; Fairy's gift spirit

**Next time: **Just he's starting to adjust to life in the castle, Yami has another bold confrontation with Kaiba--once that throws a lot into questions, and Yami makes a bold promise to himself--once that he intends to keep.

As always, read, review, comment, critique, ask questions and whatever else! Oh! And I know its' been a while but any ideas for who the bad guy in this (the actual bad guy who i'm hoping will make an appearance in upcoming chaps) is?


	10. Chapter 9: The Clash of Wills

HAHAHA! I told you Guys I'd be back and I meant it! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I actually had this chapter done earlier in the week and was just waiting for the okay from my beta but her I-net is down so i decided to edit this my self and post it (but it will be reposted once I get her edit of it back) That said i apologize in advance for any gramatical errors I may have missed.

This chapter originally was going to take a very different approach then what it turned out to be: I had such block with this part due to the evils of finals, school projects and term papers but once my imagination kicked my ass for ignoring her and i got an idea, each time i went to write this chap I got a different idea in mind, better than the first. At first i wasn't sure how well this chap turned out, but in the end and after touching it up, I think it turned out really well, and served its purpose of setting up the next two chaps that act as the catalyst for the rest of this story. So on in all, not sure if its one of my best chaps, but I definetely think it turned out for the better

Disclaimer: Yugioh, yugioh GX and all its characters are the property of one Kazuki Takahashi, who i love and repsect far to much to claim any of his work as mine. This story is VERY loosely based on Beauty and the Beast, both the French Fairy tale and the Disney movie, and thing not belonging to either of those two sources, including the manor and all of Yami's outfits belong to me. I also took a creative license on this story, so any differences between the two are my own. All i own is the plot, any and everything else belongs to those stated above

As always, read, review, critique, ask questions and whatever else: And to anyone who has nothing better to do than flame people: BRING IT ON! the only you'll get from me is a well deserved kick in the teeth!

* * *

Chapter 9: The Clash of Wills

"Wow." Rose eyes widened in amazement. The daylight truly transformed the palace into a different place than it was at night. Darkness veiled the castle in a shadow, embracing its gothic appearance, but during the early hours light pooled in from the ogival windows, stained with multi-colored glass. Images of mythical creatures, with dragons being the predominant figures illuminated the hallway with rainbow lights. The sunlight behind them made the images dance to life for brief moments.

Flying buttresses splashed gray and white, invisible in the darkness, appeared holding up a golden ceiling of brilliant windows, while the hallways were a combination of flying buttresses and Gothic archways, lining the hallways like bridges over certain floors and layers. Several staircases spiraled in multiple directions, and hallways, similar in design to a Gothic cathedral, formed a labyrinth of passages and chambers.

Like a child in a toy store, Yami wandered from one place to another, admiring each artistic piece of the castle. The experience was like seeing a part of history; the walls talked of grand times and past things: kings and battles, paladins, crusades and obscure poetry, but also of inquisition and silence, and fate, and in voices that spoke more than a thousand text books, fueling the young writer's source of wonder. The fact that the Maitre d' of the castle and his new friends were very well educated in every aspect of interest the castle had to offer, only made the experience more interesting.

"How old his is this place?"Yami asked out of amazement, but Joey answered anyway.

"Not sure 'bout that." The Maitre d' replied, leaning his heavy wings against the wall, smirking at the boy's enthusiasm. "If I had ta take a guess, I'd say somewhere round the eight century was when it was built. But then again, every monarch has added or replaced something to it over time, so Lord only knows how many generations have made an impact."

"It's amazing." Wide eyes wondered from one seen to another, while the four spirits at hid heel struggled to keep up with the boy's wondering feet. His journey took him down the stairs and to another floor with the black dragon flying behind him, and the spirits hopping from the banister and onto his shoulders or flying at his side.

"Once the weather gets nicer, we should take you on a tour of the gardens as well." Chazz suggested, resting his cat-sized dragon form in the nest of Yami's hair, as Yami's eyes tilted towards the cathedral like ceiling that seemed to go up forever then darted to the statues embedded in each wall.

"Oh yes, the trees are at their loveliest in spring." Syrus added.

"Course they look cool in winter too; everything's sheeted in ice." Jesses protested. "It's like being encased in glass. It's so cool!"

"I'll just have to see them both then won't I?" Yami smiled at the Carbuncal on his shoulder and the dragonroid, squirming in his bangs. "I can't choose which one I like best unless I see them both, after all."

Yami smirked, brushing aside a large tapestry and finding himself in a large circular hallway lined with doors. Archway-like entrances led to different rooms and another staircase spiraled in the corner. A pale, blue and silver washed marble floor led to a stunning marble statue of a dragon flexing its wings, elegantly placed beneath a glittering crystal chandelier. Rose eyes widened in amazement before he choose another hallway composed of various low-leveled archways.

"This was actually fairly recent." Jou explained, landing on his feet and returning to his human form in order to follow Yami. Yami's eyes wondered, taking in the elegant molding of the arches done in a lovely baroque pattern that swirled and curved like birches the color of bleached bone.

"Once the Gothic style became popular around the seventh century and the stone of the castle began to wither, the ruling monarch, a queen at the time with a taste for the natural world, she's actually responsible for many of the trees in the garden out back but I'm getting off topic. Anyway, she had the finest carpenters, artisans and masons refine this entire hallway in the style of these arches. The baroque style had been quite popular in Rome so it spread rather fast to this part of the world. Since the style was much more flamboyant and pleasing in design as appose to the traditional stone-work it wasn't long before the style spread all throughout the empire."

Yami's mind phased in an out of the conversation as his slender fingers brushes across the smooth, polished wood, following the tracings down another hallway. Never before had he been so exposed to so much architecture and history all at once.

A large tapestry draped over two dark walnut doors caught his eyes. Like the rest of the castle the tapestry was done in a baroque style but the centerpiece was of an enormous dragon woven entirely from crystals that flashed different shades of blue in the light, woven into the thread. Upon close inspection he saw its teeth, claws and wing spikes were white marble and its eyes were piercing sapphires, woven into the thread.

"Where does that lead, Jou?" Yami asked curiously, approaching the tapestry curiously.

"That." The blond stated proudly, while Yami brushed the tapestry aside, carefully, and turned the heavy door knockers. "Is the Grand Ball room!" Jou's voice echoed, bouncing against the empty walls.

Yami's eyes widened: the room was enormous, possibly the heart of the entire castle, but the room was the complete opposite of the rest of the castle he'd been exposed to. Tapestries and banners draped the walls, unused except for celebration, and the ogival windows stretched almost towards the ceiling letting in light, but the only thing it illuminated was the dust in the air. Everything was tattered and ancient, like nothing had been touched in centuries. The thousands of mental candles littered the room lay unlit in their candelabras, covered in a thin layer of rust. A thin layer of dust covered the once pristine looking floor of frosty glass and the stain-glass windows, making them look musty and dark. The diamond chandeliers were intertwined with cobwebs. Above him, Yami could see the glass ceiling he saw from outside, but it too was covered in dust, blocking out most of the light from the room. The teen turned to his companions in confusion.

"Or at least it used be." Jesse chuckled, in a dry attempt at humor.

"It's usually lovely, it just hasn't been used in—" Syrus began then cut himself off. "A long time.

"Try a hundred years." Chazz snapped bitterly.

"It's still cool though." Jaden jumped in, sensing the question forming on Yami's face at Chazz's remorseful response. "You won't find another like it. It literally is the heart of this castle."

"Really?" Yami raised an eyebrow intrigued.

"Yup," Joseph stepped in. "Those stain glass windows tell the story of how this castle got its namesake, about the white dragon that guards the city by banished the darkness into the mountains. Not sure how much truth there is to it but the likeness in the glass is magnificent."

"And we also got stuff painted on the walls and even the ceiling is stain glass! It's the most stunning picture of the White Dragon there is, you should see it at night, with the stars are behind it, you have to remind yourself its glass, cuz it looks so real!" Jaden bounced in the air excitedly.

"And that's not all, this place is so big, it connects every wing in the castle and each doorway is done uniquely to show which way leads where." Josu explained until realizing his listener's interests has become distracted by something else.

"Wow!" Jesse, Jaden and Chazz, both jumped at the sight of Yami, taking curious steps towards a dark stairway curved around nothing and leading towards a dark corridor, despite Syrus' tugs on his coat.

Before he could take another step, Yami blinked as his path was suddenly blocked in mid-step by the three spirits in their spectral human forms.

Before he could ask, the sound of wings filled is ears and Jou gently grabbed his arm, tugging him back. "Not so fast there, Yam." The blond said sternly. Yami blinked at the seriousness in his eyes, completely opposite the cheery, upbeat personality he'd grown accustomed to.

"I'm going to take a shot in the dark and assume I'm not aloud up there." Yami teased with light humor in his voice, though no one seemed amused.

"_No one_'s allowed there, Yami." Syrus explained before hoping off his head and returning to his human face. "It's not just you; it's the only place in the castle no one can enter under any circumstances."

The sudden darkness overcoming the staff of servants and the gravity behind the situation made Yami's eyes widen, then narrow and a mischievous smirk of intrigue graves his face. "I suppose there's no harm in letting me know why then?" He asked, carefully masking the slyness in his voice with curiosity.

"It's not important." Chazz cut in, and gently shoved the boy around before gently shoving him by the arms back through the ballroom.

"It's boring anyway." Jaden cut in changing the subject "How 'bout the tapestries?"

"Excellent choice." Jou added, clearing hoping to distract the teen, but Yami caught the obvious trick.

"Is it abandoned?" Yami asked, hoping for at least some clue to the mysterious, forbidden ground.

"Yes and no, don't worry 'bout it." Jesse added. "Nothin interestin's in the West Wing anyway."

"The West Wing?" Yami said aloud eyes bright with victory.

"Shit!" Jesse covered his mouth, eyes bulging in horror at what he'd just said.

"Ah so that's were Kaiba's been hiding." Yami smirked triumphantly.

"Ow!" Jesse whined when a large fist collided with his skull.

"Nice going moron!" Chazz snapped at the bluenette, not noticing their guest walking past them.

"Wow there!" Jaden and Sy blocked the path, before Yami could make the steps. "The West Wing is off limits, period! No one goes there without the Master's okay, not even Zane's allowed upstairs."

"Not even just to look around?" Yami reasoned, not willing to cease his persistence.

"Yam," Jou's hold on his arm tightened, causing the blond to turn to him. "We're not joking here. The one thing you don't do here is go in Seto's room. He likes his privacy and you're already on thin ice with him as is. Trust me, this is the _last _thing you wanna do." Yami felt a shiver run though him at the gravity in Jou's tone, magnified by the seriousness in his eyes.

What could be so horrible that even Seto's own staff feared him? Was he really that dangerous that he would lash out at the first person to invade his privacy? Furry boiled in Yami's veins. "I'm not afraid of him, Joseph." Yami's eyes narrowed his voice low with gravity.

Sensing where this is going, Syrus jumped in, stepping between them, with a smile. "Besides, we've only covered half the castle and there are plenty of other interesting things we could show you." He tilted his head past Yami, and motioned to his friends with his hands silently asking for support.

"We also haven't shown you the library yet?" Chazz suggested.

"Or the art gallery, either." Jesse jumped in.

"You have an art gallery _and _a library?" Yami asked with wide, curious eyes.

"In the same location!" Jaden boasted proudly, sensing the West wing's hold over Yami weakening.

"Really? Where is it?" Yami replied a small smile of surprise and hidden triumph graced his face at the unadulterated relief crossing everyone's faces.

"Right this way." Jou's demeanor changed instantly. "You'll love the library, if anything has art history it's that room" He announced leading the way, beginning another lecture.

"You'll love the windows too," Syrus smiled, as he floated by, Yami met his excited eyes that reminded him so much of Yugi's. "They're all stain glass. Just wait until noon when the sunlight shined through them all at once: the whole room fills with dancing lights!"

"And the gallery has the best view in the whole castle!" Jesse added.

"And of course you can't forget the books." Chazz reminded smirking as he reminded everyone why Yami loved library's so much. "You'll love our fiction section: it covers almost half the room."

"In almost every genre!" Syrus added excitedly.

Yami quickly followed, as they floated by, then slowed his steps gradually enough so no one would notice.

"Adventure! Horror! Fantasy! "Jesse's voice echoed over Joey's who still continued with his tour of the history of the castle's stain glass.

"Science Fiction, historical." Jaden added as the quartet floated from the ball room, lost in their conversation to notice, Yami taking slow, silent steps back.

"And you can't forget poetry!" Chazz added his voice fading as the four disappeared down the hallway.

Once the servants and Matri d' were a safe distance, Yami quickly turned on his heels and bolted back towards the West Wing; the ballroom seemed twice as large as it did earlier. A nagging nursery rhyme about the unfortunate fate of a feline, his mother always compared him too, tugged at his mind, but he ignored it once the idea of learning something about Seto filled his mind. The shadows darkening not only the stairs but the entrance seemed to be a warning, but also a sign.

"_Alone in the castle, the former King's golden heir began to chill, and stiffen, angered and bitter towards the world that shunned him so cruelly as a monster._" He quoted, as he approached the steps then stopped just beneath the foreboding steps. "What are you hiding, Seto Kaiba."

Even if had only been a week, Yami still remembered the first thing he saw when he met the Dragon King: his brothers in chains, Yugi crying, clinging to him for dear life, Atem pleading with him to take the sick boy and leave, the arrogance and triumph on the Dragon King's face when he made the deal, the way he circled him like a shark, just waiting for him to break. The memory made his blood boil, his fists ball and his teeth clench in rage. He smirked at the opportunity to get the upper hand on his host for once. "If he thinks he can keep me in the dark, he's sadly mistaken. I meant it when I said I wouldn't become another one of his obedient servants!" Confidence and triumph charged his steps, as he took a leap forward, almost onto the staircase.

"Be that as it may, Kitten; I _do _recall telling you I wouldn't hesitate to punish you if you disobeyed me again." Yami froze in mid-step. Slowly, unwittingly, he turned around. Standing against the ball room door, which Yami now realized he'd left open, in all his regal glory stood the Dragon King. His arms crossed elegantly over his chest as he leaned casually against the door, wings at his sides, and one leg braced against the frame, that damned smirk slit his face as if to scream that he knew exactly what Yami was doing. . He unfolded his arms and gently pushed himself off the wall, his wings expanded to their full length. The lights danced of his scales, shimmering multiple shades of silver and blue giving him the appearance of a glass statue. He smirked when he saw Yami falter a bit, though he was quick to recover, refusing to surrender to the Dragon this time

"What are you going on about?" Yami snapped, turning on his heels and glaring at the Dragon King, knowing full well he was in trouble but he firmly stood his ground. No fear marred his features or the vibrant fire in his flaming eyes. He wouldn't surrender this time.

Seto's smirk widened, and his smile curled. "Even when you know you're vanquished your spectacular." He mumbled, eyes glittering a vibrant crystal blue. He took a long stride towards the teen. Yami instinctively took a step back, feeling his heart begin to thud in his chest. Neither broke eye-contact. With each step Seto took, Yami took one back, refusing to let the already short distance between them decrease. His blood boiled each time Seto's smirk widened.

"How long do you think it'll be before I catch you?" he teased with a triumphant smirk. He lunged towards him, but Yami was faster, ducking away from the staircase, before turning to glare at Seto. He took another step back, but Seto followed, matching his every move precisely.

For a moment Seto just played with his head, even as Yami scowled at him, keeping a close eye on each of Seto's movements. He watched as Seto maneuvered to the right, immediately he went left. Too late he realized his mistake.

Immediately, Seto pivoted on his heel, and with a single small leap and a flex of his wings he was in the air. With a single flap, Seto was on him in less than two seconds. Too overcome by surprise Yami was helpless when Seto's claws clenched his shoulders and gently pinned him by the arms against the wall: Seto's palms holding him in place and his claws sinking into the wall, effectively immobilizing him.

Refusing to remain captive, Yami struggled and moved to kick him, but Seto's tail caught the flying abdomen and pinned it back against the wall, effectively halting the fiery teen. "Get off me!" Yami screamed as he continued to struggle though it did him no good.

"What did I tell you, Kitten?" Seto glared at him still smirking.

"I'm not a cat!" Yami snapped, struggling even more, until Seto pressed him further into the wall.

"Perhaps." Seto smirked, playfully making Yami's blood boil more. "But you remind me very much of a kitten: all hisses and claws and never doing a thing that you're told." His smirk curled at the ends at the crimson shade Yami knew was spreading across his face.

Seto's smirk widened; his eyes focused in on Yami's own as if admiring the fire burning in the rose-colored orbs. "Are you scared?"

"Of you?" Yami scowled but didn't move. "No."

"That's what intrigues me." Seto teased, tilting his head, before moving Yami's wrists into his one of his hands and pinned them above his head, while the free claw moving to dance across Yami's face. Yami shivered; a breath caught in his throat feeling the cool metal claws biting against his skin. He didn't move. Remembering the first time he felt those sharp claws delicately dancing across his skin, he decided not to provoke the dragon's arrogance even more then he already had. Seto's claws danced up his shoulder and tickled his chin; the slight pressure he placed on them forced Yami to left his head to meet his eyes. "Are you afraid now?"

Yami eyes glittered with defiance. "I'm not afraid of you."

Seto's eyes softened but his face turned to a neutral mask. "Why not?"

"I have no reason to be." Yami answered, remaining still in the Dragon's grip, even as he moved his hands from his chin and wrists preferring to use them to brace himself against wall, while still cutting off any and all of Yami's escape routes. The defiance in Yami's eyes and the control in Seto's never faltered.

For a few moments they stayed like that. Neither of them willing to back down or break. Seto's hard eyes bore in to Yami's smoldering crimson. Then a moment later, Seto smiled a small smile and dipped his head towards Yami. "Kiss me."

"What!" Yami exploded in shock and infuriated Seto would even suggest such a thing, and started thrashing, his arms rose to shove Seto off him, but the dragon was fast and pinned the boy's wrists above his head again. He chuckled loudly, making Yami glare at him harshly, growling like a caged wild cat.

"Don't tell me you've never been kissed, kitten?" Seto taunted, laughing.

"Of course I have!" Yami's face went scarlet. He may have preferred books to flirting but he was by no means naïve when it came to things like courtship: he'd had personal relations before, not everyone was a pompous, aristocratic, bore like Rebbecca after all. "How dare you even ask me that!" Yami screeched, thrashing in the King's grip. "Let go of me, Kaiba!"

"And what if I said no." Kaiba smirked, leaning closer until his face hovered only a few inches from Yami's. Yami growled as the sudden invasion of space, then shivered when he felt Seto's tail unwrap from around his leg, and wrap around his waist instead. "L-Let go!" he hissed.

The stutter made Seto's frosty sapphire eyes light up. "Why do you always put up so much resistance?" the tone was teasing, but the question was serious, like it was trying to preach the shield of defiance Yami cast around himself. "If you stopped fighting for once, you might actually enjoy yourself."

"Shut up!" Yami snapped. "I'm not one of your playthings! You can't order me around like you do your servants."

Seto raised an eyebrow in confusion at the statement then leaned closer, meet Yami's eyes with a small smirk. "I'm aware of that, but what if I told you I didn't want you as a servant?"

Yami's entire demeanor shattered, his anger plummeted replaced by shock, disbelief and slight horror at what Seto was suggesting. "You think I'm won over that easily?" Yami spat.

"Whoever said I trying to 'win you over'?" Seto demanded, casually. "If I wanted to 'win you over' as you call it, I would've told the servants to give you the best place in the castle and do whatever you said, but I didn't did I? Because I knew you wouldn't like it. You're far too independent for anything like that."

Yami blinked, before his pride kicked in and he glared again. "How do you know anything about what I'm like?" he demanded. Seto didn't flinch, despite the harsh tone.

"I don't." He said flatly, letting of Yami's wrists and stepping back, while still keeping him in place with his tail. "But contrary to what you may think, you're not that difficult to read, Yami." He paused then continued noticing the bewilderment on the teen's face. "I can tell by that sharp little tongue of yours, your fiery attitude, and that thick skull that you are: too reckless for your own good; that you would never accept anything given to you, you hate anything fancy or over the top, but you're fond of anything simple yet elegant, and" a small smile graced his face as he gazed at Yami's wide, surprised eyes alerting him that everything he said was true. "If you stop letting your pride get in the way and actually allow yourself to enjoy what you have you'd be much happier."

The comment made him angry. Hurt and anger suddenly festered in him when he tried to put everything into perspective: only for the images of Yugi crying and coughing, Atem terrified, and both of them trapped and chained in a dark, freezing tower; the King hiding in the shadows, telling him flat out that anything and everything he ever cared for was eternally lost to him.

With a sudden strength, Yami threw his arms forward shoving the taller, stronger being away from him, the tail around his waist loosening, and freeing himself from his confinement. He let the anger boil in his blood until it festered like a glass bubble. Then he let it drop.

"You think it's simple! You think you can just show up and demand such things when you've done nothing but avoid me since I got here, after everything I lost—no, everything you _stole _from me! I can just forgive and forget! Well, you're wrong! Do you have any idea what I gave up for you? How dare you act as if anything you've done even _begins _to compare to that—"

His outburst was interrupted when—before he even had a chance to even comprehend it—the Dragon King shot forward. The tightening of his coat and collar was the only warning Yami got before he suddenly felt his back slam harshly against the wall, the impact knocking the wind right out of him. His hands instantly flew to the pull at the clawed hands holding him in place. His legs started kicking wildly, when he realized he was at least two inches off the ground. He opened his eyes and mouth to protest but was instantly silenced by the fierce look Kaiba gave him…like a wild animal, but behind the anger Yami could see something else…pain…sadness …anguish.

It pierced right through him.

But then again he did something that Yami didn't expect. He burst out laughing: a dark, sinister laugher as if he were chocking on tears. "You think you're so wise!" Kaiba glared at him, furiously, letting all his anger and pain bleed into his voice. "You have _no _right to judge me! You don't have any idea what I've been through. You think you've suffered just because you can't go home? Back to your precious little village of idiots and your family! Huh! At least you still have a home to go back to! At least you know you're family is still alive and safe! I'm a _prisoner_ in my_ own_ home, I don't even know if my brothers even still exist! Let alone if they're safe?"

"You have brothers?" Yami asked subconsciously, his mind still trying to process the heartbroken rant the normally cold and collected Dragon King just displayed.

He screamed when he was suddenly dropped to the floor, panting heavily, as he tried to replenish his lungs. He looked up only to see Seto, taking a step back as if he'd been shocked. He looked at Yami like he'd asked a ghost how it died. Yami's eyes widened. Bewildered at the pain, confusion and conflicting emotions blazing through those fierce ice-blue eyes like a glittering kaleidoscope. But as quickly as it appeared it vanished, and that scowl the Dragon King was known for returned even fiercer then before. "Get up!" he ordered, not even attempting to mask the anger in his voice.

Yami growled and jumped to his feet, hands balled into fists at his sides. "Don't tell me what to do!"

Another dark smile slit Kaiba's face. "On the contrary, kitten." He chuckled darkly. "You chose to follow _my _rules when you surrendered your freedoms to me, and," he paused taking another step towards Yami, before leaning down to meet his eyes, his smirk widening when Yami stepped back. "I said I wouldn't hesitate to punish you if you disobeyed me again."

Realization suddenly hit Yami like a ton of bricks, he tried to keep it hidden but his mask slipped. Seto's smirk expanded.

"You. Wouldn't dare." Yami said firmly, in a last ditch effort.

"Want to bet!" Before Yami could do anything or protest, Seto had seized him by the arms and up heaved his lithe body over his shoulder, keeping him in place by wrapping his arm around the boy's waist. Yami screamed in rage but before he could object to any of this, he was forced to hang on as Seto took to the air and started flying through the ball room, up another staircase, and down the second floor.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing! Put me down! Release me this instant!" Yami screamed, thrashing his limbs and clawing at Seto's back, he braced his arms on the dragon's scaly back and pushed in an attempt to wrench his waist free from the iron grip around it. All attempts failed. "Hey! Kaiba! I said Release me! Dammit Kaiba, let go of me! I said let me go! Kaiba!" Struggle and thrash as Yami might, it did him little good. Kaiba said nothing, he didn't even look at him, but he growled when Yami started hammering his fists against his back where his wings connected and lashed at them with his tail, making the teen scream and retreat.

"Kaiba!" Yami screeched like a banshee, hammering his back until Seto rolled his shoulder, making him whimper. "Dammit! Kaiba! Put me down this instant! Hey!"

Yami's rants and the sound of Seto's wings echoed all throughout the house. The servants rushed from their duties to see what was happening. Ryou's eyes bulged out of his skull, while Bakura—who couldn't leave the kitchen—demanded to know what was happening. The seamstresses and Malik paused in their work and jumped when Seto ordered them to vacate Yami's room and returned to their sewing rooms.

When they finally reached the second floor, Seto stopped flying and walked the rest of the way to Yami's room: the teen still fighting against his capture's embrace while demanding his freedom. Not to Seto's surprise, the servants were outside Yami's room in a panic wondering where he was. He stopped and grunted, directing their attention towards him. Their eyes widened at the sight before them. Chazz froze; his eyes nearly bulged out of his skull. Syrus covered his mouth in shock, Jaden covered his ears, Jesse covered his eyes. Jou just blinked like someone had slapped him for no reason. Dismissed with a glare from their master the group fazed out of the way, turning their heads away guilt at Yami's demanding, half pleas for help.

"Dammit Kaiba! Put me—" Yami screamed again as Kaiba kicked the doors to his room open, and with one swift motion, threw him on to his bed with such force he bounced back up and rolled off the side.

He groaned as he got to his feet, just in time to see Kaiba exit his room, grabbing the door on his way out intending to lock it. "Kaiba, you are not leaving me in here!" He made a mad dash for the door, but was too late and instead crashed into it as it slammed in his face. "Shit!" he stormed rubbing his nose, before turning back and wresting the door knockers, and banging on the door. "Hey! Kaiba! Let me out!" Yami screamed, so loud his voice echoed through the door.

"Uh, Kaiba…" Jou dared to ask, only for Seto to grab him by the collar of his shirt and pull him up to meet his eyes.

"Listen up mutt." Seto commanded, pointing to Yami's room. "That door _does not _open. _He _doesn't come out and _no one _goes in until I say so, understood?" Jou nodded mutely.

"Is that clear, no fazing either?" he turned to the servants. The four boys all nodded.

"Good." Seto nodded before dropping Joey to floor and stormed down the hallway like a white dash.

Once he was gone and the five had time to recover from the shock, Syrus, Jesse and Jaden collapsed against the wall, Chazz bolted down the hallway towards the West wing, almost crashing into Malik holding a pile of clothes, and diving past Ryou who had a tray of food in the process. Both Malik and Ryou tuned to Jou, who had yet to pick himself up from the floor. The only sounds heard among the silence were Yami's howls of rage.

Finally Jaden spoke. "What the hell just happened?

* * *

Yami growled loudly in frustration and kicked the door, harshly. He panted heavily, his throat raw from constant screaming. Syrus and the others would've no doubt come in by now demanding what had happened if they had permission, which meant Kaiba had kept his word and he was now completely trapped: a prisoner in the castle he'd been forced to call home.

He punched the door in anger before pressing his forehead against the wood, trying to process what had just happened. His mind back-tracked to what had transpired and every time he recalled Seto's behavior before effectively locking him in his room. He remembered the pain and anguish on his face when he readdressed the reasons for his confinement and Seto's reaction. Realization struck him like a bolt and he stood up straight, his eyes widened in shock as he tried to remember another important line from the book—which he was starting to realize was based more on fact than he originally believed: "Seto has brothers…like I do."

The realization came like a whiplash across his side. Emotionally and physically drained from the night's event's he crashed onto the side of the bed and held his head trying to think. "If that's true, than what else are you hiding Kaiba?" he pondered to himself, as he removed his jacket and placed it on the back of a chair and stripped out of his shirt and pants, in favor of the rose colors silks, Malik had set on the edge of the bed.

A smirk crossed Yami's face. He decided at that final moment, he didn't care how long it took him, or what he had to risk or sacrifice in order to do so, he would learn the Dragon King's secrets. "Whatever you're hiding, I'm going to figure it out."

* * *

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Long Live the Queen of Plot Twists! How many of you thought I was gonna have Yami go into Seto's room and not get caught? huh? Gotcha! Hey I said i wanted them to interact more before it got to that point and i meant it! And as a master and lover of characterization and development i will be _damned _if I let Seto and Yami get together _that _easily!

Enter Phase one: The First Line. As i said the ending of this chap turned our very different from what i intended (I certanitly didn't plan on Seto literally carrying Yami back to his room and locking him in, but somehow it worked: I'll leave it to you to figure out what just happened and maybe guess what's gonna happen next. I am gonna have so much fun writing this story from here on out.

I already have the next chap half-way done and THEN after that chap, it will pick up and return to the events you're all familiar with...then again maybe not: but chapter after next you WILL all be reintroduced to the true enemy in this story (guess are still open, i won't give a straight answer but I love seeing controversy!

As always, read, review, ciritique, comment, ask questions, quess what's gonna happen and what ever else you life. As for my Flame policy see above.


	11. Chapter 10: The Breaking Ice

I DID IT! ! My Third Update in a row! Just as I promise! (Faints)

My imagination has literally REFUSED to give me peace with this story: the only thing keeping me from finishing this chapter a month ago was finals, OL ALIE and my beta loosing her I-net. Not sure if I should call this chap a filler or a plotmover (if that's even a word) since it really serves as the connection between this chap and the next one. I am gonna have SO much fun with this fic from here on out: especially since next chap gets to the real turning point (or at least one of them) mwahahahahahahahaha!

**Disclaimer: **As always yugioh, yugioh GX and all its characters belong to Kazuki Takahashi, Shonen Jump and (unfortunately) 4Kids Entertainment(DIE YOU EVIL ANIME RUINER!) Any Refences to the beauty and the Beats Fairy tale belong to the French poet who wrote it and any movie references belong to Disney. The castle, Yami's outfit (especially the coat-which was inspired by Holly Black's A Coat of Stars), the plot and anything not related to anything mentioned above belong to me.

Special shout out to my Beta Chi! Who asked to beta this story until my friend Zephrya Mouto on DA gets her I-net back! Thanks so much girl! You really help me out, especially the end of this chap!

As always, read, review, critique, comment, ask questions and whatever else. I love comment,s critiques and feedback: be brutal is you must, i honestly don't mind because they help me improve my work! And as always Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter Ten: The Breaking Ice

Bakura was beginning to wonder if it was a miracle or Fate playing a cruel joke that Yami came to the castle at all. Oh no, it wasn't because having everyone on edge more than usual was a bad thing, or because of his inability to get any information of what was happening except for the incoherent blabber leaking from the four servant's mouths (or Ryou's translations of them), no, it was the fragile existence known as his sanity that had been stretched abnormally thin because of their new house guest, Yami, and his master, Seto Kaiba.

Two whole weeks and no one had the slightest clue of what had transpired between Yami and Seto in the ballroom when the boy managed to escape his guides (something Jou and the boys were _still _kicking themselves for) or why it had made Yami throw such a fit and put Kaiba in an even worse mood than normal. The next morning, the entire house was echoing with questions no one had answers to. No one dared ask Kaiba, or defy his order by asking Yami. Only two people had managed to loophole Seto's order: Ryou, who refused to let the boy starve and, despite his fragile demeanor, made it clear to Kaiba he'd fight him to the death to make sure Yami stayed healthy, and Malik, who had worked overtime on finishing the first part of Yami's clothes so he could bring them to him. Somehow, the bronze-skinned spirit had convinced Kaiba that the clothes were material and couldn't pass through the wall like the staff could; it only made sense to bring them to him directly. But Kaiba's brilliant mind surpassed them and he'd figured out both boys' scheme when Malik started making the clothes in sets, rather than all at once, and Ryou started preparing more meals a day than normal for an average seventeen-year-old. Finally, the Master declared that he'd bring everything to Yami himself.

Ryou was still scowling as he dried the dishes. However, it was Bakura who got the last laugh when Kaiba's newest order had invoked the biggest battle anyone had ever seen in the castle since the rebellion of the Kaibas against the tyrants 110 years ago. Bakura could only smirk, listening to Yami and Seto's bickering from as far a distance as the other side of the castle. His smile and laughter alone were enough to throw even Ryou into a fit of worry over his sanity. But Bakura's sanity was still intact, it was simply the meaning behind the ice dragon and fiery teen's childish spats that amused him as much as it irritated him.

"Bakura, y-you're scaring me." Ryou stuttered, unaware he was still drying the same plate he started ten minutes ago.

"I take that as a compliment, love." The cook smirked, gently taking the plate from his husband's robotic hands. "And I think this plate it done; you may continue to dry the next one." He teased, putting the plate away and turned off the hearth with a snap of his fingers.

"Bakura, how on earth can you be so calm at a time like this? This is a disaster!" Ryou erupted in stark disbelief.

Bakura burst out laughing. "On the contrary, love, this is what we've been hoping for!" Bakura corrected and bit his lip to keep from laughing again at the blank look of pure and absolute shock on his husband's face.

"You're kidding, right?" Jesse snorted, lifting his head from his sprawled position on the table beside an equally exhausted Chazz.

"Oh bloody Scotts, are you all naïve?" Bakura shook his head and flashed a 'know-it-all' smirk when the rest of the staff turned their confused eyes to him. "Think about it, when was the last time anyone saw Kaiba acting this… _human?_"

Ryou dropped the plate, shocked at his own stupidity. It was true. Even since their "fight," or whatever it was, Kaiba _had _been acting more human. Now that he thought about it, the Master had been acting that way since Yami agreed to stay. He couldn't even remember the last time he saw Kaiba acting so…so…alive again. Although none of his emotions or actions were positive (unless walking instead of flying was seen as a positive) Kaiba's constant bickering, anger, frustration and other displays of emotion were, nonetheless, emotions. For years everyone was worried that their prince had succumbed to the finality of his curse and had given up. The sudden up-swing of his more human side was invigorating, if not encouraging, to say the least.

And Yami's unconventional attitude was, no doubt, the cause. Ever since Kaiba's order, the boy had tried every means possible to escape his room. All his attempts failed and ended in another battle of wits and words with Kaiba. But what impressed Ryou the most was Yami's cleverness. The boy never ran out of ideas, never repeated his mistakes and, with each of Kaiba's arguments, he had a clever and often crude response of his own ready to counter it. He matched the dragon blow for blow until they both yelled "Fine!" and Kaiba storming off. Kaiba never forgot to lock the door behind him or leave whatever it was he brought that night on the bed stand for Yami.

He remembered when he and Bakura were like that; back when he was young and found the handsome yet obnoxious youth absolutely infuriating. No wonder Bakura was so confident.

Still, if either his master or his new friend ever hoped to get past that first hurtle, they both needed to put aside their damned pride and talk. Otherwise, no one in the house would ever know the meaning of peace again.

"I don't think the old saying applies in this case." Chazz responded, rolling onto his back in an attempt to free his right wing from an uncomfortable position. He flexed his joints, knocking into Jesse a few times.

"Watch it!" The blue-haired boy snapped, pushing himself into a sitting position and dodging the feathered appendage. He swung his legs back and forth before recalling Chazz saying, "What saying?"

"That when two people fight, it means they really care about each other." The brunette yawned before closing his eyes in a deep sleep. Lord knows he needed it. The poor boy had been on his feet, paws and wings, non-stop for the past week, running and flying between the West Wing and the East Wing in an attempt to find some sort of clue as to what happened between his Master and his new friend. All it resulted in was his impossibly sore body and his ringing ears: Yami refused to speak to Seto unless he apologized to him, and Seto, with surprising bluntness, stated he refused to apologize to that "outspoken, brazen, obnoxious excuse for a boy" unless he apologized first.

Chazz had never been so confused in his entire life and neither had anyone else. He'd given up on trying to convince Seto to let Yami out of his room, or at the very least, leave the door unlocked. The first time he asked, he knew it was because Seto didn't trust Yami to not try and escape again and get into some place he knew he shouldn't. He hadn't said so, or even implied it, but Chazz could hear it in the underlying words. He knew Seto only hadn't said so because he cared too much for the four of them (and to a degree, Jou) to even suggest the idea that they failed him. The second time he asked, after suggesting maybe Yami wouldn't be so feisty if he had more freedom, Seto hesitated, but still refused. The hesitance was what surprised Chazz the most. It suggested that there was more to what happened between him and Seto than he let on and he wondered if the reason the two argued was because neither of them knew where to begin to discuss what happened.

He paused when he felt another migraine forming. He hated speculation. Without any information on what exactly happened, Chazz doubted anyone could come up with a logical way to convince those two to break the ice.

Consumed by his headache, he decided to stop thinking and let unconsciousness take over his mind. He could still hear Bakura laughing.

* * *

Malik did not have a death wish, he also never considered himself insane or suicidal. Logically, he must've been one of those three to fall in love with a man like Marik and accept his marriage proposal. But that was also completely contrary to popular belief. Just because a person was radical, eccentric and had several unusual personality traits like a semi-obsessive infatuation and a variety of nicknames, like 'pretty' or 'kitten', for his husband, didn't mean he was insane.

In this case, however; Malik knew even _he_ could consider himself all the above for the stunt he was about to pull—or attempt to pull.

Tightening his grip on the newly made bundle of folded clothing in his hands, he took a breath and swallowed a lump in his throat, hoping it would ease his tension.

It didn't.

Each step down the dark corridor made him flinch. At last, he approached the enormous door of dark rosewood engraved with a sapphire-eyed dragon. Swallowing his fear and inhaling deeply, he shifted the contents to one arm and knocked on the door, loudly.

The doors opened as if on their own, and Malik stepped into the doorway.  
"Are those for Yami?" the Dragon King's voice boomed from the beyond the ripped curtains, his form appearing beyond the ribbons of mesh like a faded silhouette.

"Yeah, new outfit and a trench coat. I figured with the weather starting to chill, he could use one. And you know how much I enjoy making them." The tailor flashed an impish grin and placed his free hand on his hip. He'd discarded his golden-armored gryphon form for that of his human skin. Lilac eyes gleamed with mischief.

"Very well." The dragon moved like a shadow making an attempt to grab the clothes, but Malik moved his arm back, just out of reach. Kaiba growled in response but Malik showed no sign of fear.

"I want to give them to him myself." The blonde said firmly, bracing himself physically and mentally for the cataclysm that was bound to follow.

"Absolutely not!" Seto roared. Malik stood his ground, unphased by the impulsive outburst.

"I wasn't asking permission, Kaiba. I'm the tailor. I think I have a right to make sure all these clothes fit and in accordance to Yami's preferences, otherwise I have an insane amount of adjustments and redesigning to do."

Kaiba's eyes burned in a way that would've made even the strongest men flinch and he opened his mouth to argue again but Malik beat him to it. "Look, whatever happened between you and Yami is your business. But it's been two whole weeks, Kaiba! Everyone, including me, is getting sick of hearing you two argue like children and if you're not going to man up and do something, than at the very least let everyone see Yami again. You know the only reason he's throwing all these fits is because you isolated him in his room! I'd be going insane by now if I were in the same position." Malik said firmly, then bit his tongue before he said something to make the situation worse.

If Marik had been in the room, no doubt he'd be dragging him as far away from Kaiba as fast as he could, then screech his head off at Malik for putting himself in such life-threatening situation.

Not that Malik blamed him. Even now, seeing Seto staring at him, eyes bright with furry, claws fisted at his sides and jaw clenched, he couldn't bring himself to say anything. If Malik had been less strong of a man and knew Kaiba less than he did, he'd be shaking and begging for his life.

A combination of a hiss and a growl escaped the Dragon King and his long canines protruded over his teeth and lips like gleaming spires. For a moment, Malik wondered if they would bite, but he stayed still, refusing to let even the slightest weakness show in his eyes.

He waited for Kaiba's tantrum of silent furry to end, and watched as the dragon turned around and stormed through the tattered curtains, his tail striking a bureau over, probably in an attempt to cool his embarrassment. Malik watched as the dragon strolled over to the balcony outside and clenched the stone, the obvious sighs of chagrin escaping him.

"Kaiba?" Malik called softly. "You can't keep avoiding him, you know. You two will never make peace if you don't stop arguing."

"The day I make peace with the brazen, obnoxious, loud-mouth—" Seto exploded.

"Kaiba!" Malik snapped. "If you were a child, I'd swear I'd slap you! And Yami too! You two have been going at it for two weeks, and if neither of you are going to control your tempers, than I demand that you let everyone else try."

Seto didn't look at him; he just turned around and clenched the railing tighter, clearly embarrassed by his lack of control.

Malik sighed. Sometimes he wondered if Kaiba remembered he was still technically twenty-one. A century locked away in a castle wasn't exactly the best place to make the transition into adulthood.

"Fine."  
Malik almost dropped the clothes.

"Excuse me?" He asked again, in case his ears were lying.

"I said fine." Kaiba turned around and leaned against the banister. "I am sick of fighting, and if you think you and everyone else can calm Yami's temper, than fine. I'll let you try. Lord knows I'm sick of arguing with everyone."

Malik blinked and bit his cheek to keep from smiling. "Yami's not the only one who needs to control his temper, Seto." He replied, purposely using his Master's first name. "You were never the same after it happened, and I understand that, truly I do, but you can't keep isolating yourself either. It's making you crankier than usual." He meant the last part as a joke, and felt his heart leap when he heard his master chuckle.

"Perhaps, then again, maybe I'm just not used to someone as stubborn as I am." Kaiba sighed, then shot Malik a harsh glare. "But I'm telling you right now, Malik, if he—Yami—crosses anymore lines, I won't give him a second chance."

Unsure whether he should be grateful or terrified for their new guest, Malik nodded and swallowed a lump in his throat, hoping to ease the tension.

Just as before, it did nothing to help.

* * *

Yami paced in his room before collapsing on the side of his bed in a failed attempt to conjure up new escape plans. So far, everything failed. He counted how many times he'd tried the bathroom windows, sneaking past Seto, hiding, and even trying to weave his way out. He glanced outside the balcony before scrapping that idea altogether. He'd thought to us the balcony his first night locked in his room; surprised Seto hadn't thought to lock it. When he got to the railing, he figured out why: the room was on the fourth floor and the balcony was at least twenty feet above the roof beneath it. The only way he was getting out through the balcony was if he learned to scale rock.

"Dammit!" Yami groaned and fell back on the bed. "If I'm stuck in here any longer I'll lose my mind." He growled when he heard the door unlock and rolled over, trying to put as much distance between himself and his captor as possible. "Leave me alone. I'm not in the mood to argue with you."

"Thank God. Any more between you and the Master and this entire castle would lose the rest of its sanity." Recognizing that sarcasm anywhere, Yami shot up and his smile widened when he saw Malik leaned against the door, balancing a bundle of new clothes in his hand. "And before you ask, yes, I'm allowed to be here."

"Sorry." Yami replied. "The only one who comes in here now is Kaiba." He bitterly growled.

"I know." Malik smiled, dropping the clothes in the boy's lap. He pulled Yami to his feet and shoved him towards the bathroom. "It was no small accomplishment getting that draconic Master of mine to pull strings. Now, go try those on and be quick about it. Once the boys get wind that Seto's given you visitation rights, they'll be all over you and I need to see if those clothes fit."

"Wait what!" Yami demanded consumed by shock.

"I'll explain later." Malik said quickly, shoving him into the bathroom. "I've only got a limited amount of time."  
Too overcome by shock at what the tailor told him, Yami obeyed.

Malik waited outside until, moments later, Yami emerged dressed in Malik's latest creation. A proud smirk slit the tailor's face. Yami was in a pair of smooth, black leather pants that molded his legs. They disappeared into the red leather ankle boots he wore, the hems flaring over his ankles, which were held by a black band. A long-sleeved silk shirt the color of dark roses smoothed over his skin, ruffling at his hips and elbows but gracefully exposed every curve of his torso. The final piece was by far the most spectacular: a frock of velvet the color of liquid gold, appliquéd with blue flames and thin smoky purples and deep reds along the cuffs and tail and leaped up the sleeves. On the back black beads were sewn in a sun-shaped pattern.

"I was right." Malik's smile widened as he circled the teen, examining his work. "You do look good in gold. How do you like it?"

"It's beautiful." Yami replied enthusiastically, spinning around, watching as the tail of the coat flared around him. "It fits perfectly. Thank you."

"Excellent!" Malik clapped his hands together gleefully. "I haven't had the chance to see any of my work on you since you've been here, this is truly a treat. You make that coat look even more radiant than it already is." He boasted, not catching the blush on the boy's face, as he strolled across the room and sat back down.

"Malik?" He asked. "You didn't just come here to check out my clothes. What do you want to know?"

The tailor's expression changed instantly. He grabbed the chair from the desk and maneuvered it with one hand so it was facing the bed and sad down with his ankle crossed elegantly over his leg. The grave expression on the blond boy's face almost made Yami shiver.

"Yeah I wanted to ask you something." The tailor replied honestly, his lavender eyes going hard. "And I want an honest answer, nothing cute and no changing the subject—" He said so fiercely Yami almost flinched beneath his stare. "What the hell happened between you and Seto? And don't you dare tell me nothing or that you don't know because this entire house has been in an uproar wondering what happened and poor Chazz has been running himself ragged for answers and God help the next person I see if I hear Bakura, of all people, laughing again!"

Yami bit his lip, unsure of what to say, but knew he couldn't keep silent either. "We just got into an argument." Malik arched an eyebrow, waiting for the rest. "And?"

"And that's it." Yami replied, straightening himself with slight aggravation. "He caught me in the ball room, we argued, he said something that made me mad, I threw him off me and yelled at him, he got pissed. You know the rest." He crossed his arms. He'd always hated being interrogated and Malik's wasn't helping.

Malik exhaled a breath of frustration, leaning forward in the chair so he could look Yami in the eye. "And you expect me to believe you two just blew up at the other for no reason? I'm serious, Yami I want to help you two but I can't unless you give me an honest answer. Now tell me what he said and what you said, or at least give me something?" His face was serious but his tone was almost desperate.

Yami paused for a moment. Even though it had been two weeks, that day was still fresh in his mind. He could still see the intensity in Kaiba's eyes, feel those cold claws gently holding him in place and his tail wrapped securely around his waist, immobilizing him while they battled with their eyes. He could still hear those hypnotic words in his ear and feel the heat of them on his skin before he finally broke free. The flicker of anguish before the dragon exploded at him and the horror when he asked about his family.

"He told me if I stopped fighting him all the time and enjoy what I have, I'd be much happier." Yami began, trying to organize his memories of the argument and not the actions that occurred before it. "And, I don't know, it just infuriated me because it made me think of Yugi and Atem, I can't just forget everything I gave up for them. Then he just blew up and yelled at me and he mentioned something that I asked him about and…" He paused for a second. "For a second he looked like someone slapped him for no reason." He wasn't sure how else to phrase it. A shiver ran up his spine at the memory of the intense pain naked in those crystalline blue orbs.

Malik's eyebrows arched over his widening eyes. "That does _not_ sound like Kaiba in any way." He slouched back in the chair, trying to piece together what he was just told. "So what _exactly _did you asked him about?"

"I…" Yami felt his breath tighten for a moment, as if he were about to say something forbidden and his own voice was stopping him. "He said he has brothers."

Malik almost fell out of the chair. The shock on his face both silenced him and answered any questions Yami had. "Oh bloody hell!" The tailor snapped, "No wonder that old dragon is so upset!"

"What?" Yami asked, clearly confused. His heart, however, leapt at the chance to learn something new about his host.

Malik's response was a frustrated hand through his mane of sandy blond locks. "That jerk, he had us all worried and on edge when he was just throwing a temper tantrum!" The tailor ranted before finally calming down and turning to a clearly bewildered Yami.

He sighed and explained, "Listen Yami, you didn't know so I can't blame you for that, but there are just some things Seto doesn't like to talk about. His family is one of them. I can explain why, but let's just say it has to do with why he's a dragon."

"Then it's true." Yami mumbled, looking at the floor to hide his smirk.

"I'm sorry?" Malik asked, raising and eyebrow.

Yami opened his mouth to answer, but before he could, something bulldozed right into him, sending him crashing backwards against his bed. A heavy weight settled on his chest and torso, knocking the air out of his lungs.

"Now look what you did! A half-angered, half worried voice that sounded like Chazz's echoed through the room. Yami opened his eyes and panted, trying to recover from the sudden attack.

"What the?" He shook his head and gently balanced himself on his arms, pushing himself into a sitting position. He gasped at the weight on his body and looked down, eyes widening in bewilderment. Jaden latched onto his chest with a surprising grip since he appeared to be in the form of a specter. Syrus and Jesse had also latched onto him: Syrus around the left side of his waist and Jesse halfway between the two.

"I take it you guys missed me." He chuckled, not having the heart to disturb the cute scene.

"We were worried sick!" Jaden jumped off, rearranging himself into a cross-legged position on his bed with wet eyes. Syrus had yet to let go, and Jesse just let himself slip off and return to his fox-like form so he could jump in Yami's lap. The teen gasped in surprise before gently stroking his back, laughing.

"I have to say, you three are a lot stronger than you look. I didn't expect your spectral forms to be so heavy." He laughed teasingly until everyone turned to stare at him. Jesse leapt out of his lap and back to his spectral form, so transparent that Yami could see everything behind him.

"Wait a minute!" the bluenette jumped. "Can you see me…like this?" He said, gesturing to his current form.

Yami blinked in confusion. "Of course I can. I can see you just as clearly as I can when you're in your animal form." He replied, turning to the surprised looks on the servant's and even Malik's face. "What is it?"

"Yami…" Chazz tried to explain but he hesitated as if unsure how to phrase the question. "I told you about how we rarely use our human forms because they require a lot of energy to maintain right?"

Yami nodded.

"Well the reason for that is because, well, technically we're not alive. We're ghosts, or spectators, unless we're in our spirit forms, or we make our human forms physical, no one can see us except each other. In other words, you shouldn't be able to see us when we're specters."

Yami's eyes widened. "I don't understand. I could see you all since I arrived here. I never even noticed the difference. I just figured everyone preferred their spirit forms to their human ones, like you four do." He said, gesturing to Jaden, Chazz, Jesse and Syrus.

Everyone was silent, even Yami, who suddenly felt like he had been told a disastrous secret about himself. The shocked and surprised expressions on his friends' faces did little to help. He looked down and noticed Syrus was shaking, but, despite himself, he didn't comfort him, not when he was unsure what to say, or what was even happening. Were spirits appearing in spectral form a common occurrence nowadays?

To everyone's surprise, it was Malik who broke the silence.

"Well, well." The tailor chuckled and stood up, shedding his human skin for that of his golden-armored gryphon form, identical to Marik's. Yami recognized it from his first night in the castle, when he and another man took Atem and Yugi from him.

"Seems you're even more special then we all first thought, Yami." Malik flashed the teen a bright smile that curled with mischief, as if he was the first one to solve a complex puzzle and was waiting to see how long it would take everyone else. "Very special indeed." He smiled, bouncing towards the door. "Glad you like my clothes. Let me know if you need anything else." He laughed like a child with a new set of toys. "I haven't had this much fun in years!" He chuckled, before opening the door, then paused and spun round "Oh and before I forget, you're still not aloud to leave the room…yet, but don't worry, I'm sure if you behave a bit we can convince Kaiba to lighten up."

"Wait, _you _convinced Seto to let everyone see him!" Chazz jumped so fast he stumbled off the side of Yami's bed in his haste and stumbled to his feet. "I've been trying to do that for two weeks! How did you convince him!" The brunette interrogated, more overcome by surprise than anything else.

Malik just laughed and ruffled the teen's head, knowing he would hate it and was rewarded by a growl and a swat at his hand. "Well!" Chazz snapped sounding much more like his old self.

"Let's just say I have my ways." Malik smirked, before waving goodbye to the rest of the kids. "See you later Yami. I'll tell Ryou he can finally come back up here now. Lord knows he's about to blow a gasket if someone doesn't give him a straight answer." The gryphon laughed before flying down the hall.

Chazz snorted once he left. "I swear I will never understand that man. I mean I know Marik is insane, but Malik? I thought he had more caution than that!"

Yami could only laugh. "By the way, Chazz," Has asked when the teen plopped himself back down on the rim of the bed. At this point, everyone abandoned their spirit forms for their spectral ones. "The reason for your spirit, spectral forms and things like that, it's because of the curse isn't it?"

Fate couldn't have predicted the outcome of that question. Syrus shot up so fast he fell off the side of the bed. Chazz's jaw hit the floor, Jesse looked as if he had a heart attack and Jaden fell over. All four of them went wide eyes with fear; shock too little a word to describe their faces.

"C-Curse? What curse?" Jaden babbled when he got up from the floor, waving his hands defensively. "No one said anything about a curse." He babbled and tried to smile but his red face and guilty eyes made it impossible. The boy gulped when Chazz glared at him as if screaming his attempt to divert the teen's attention wasn't working.

Unable to resist, Yami burst out laughing. Syrus looked at him with confusion while Jesse just stared at him, mouth gap with shock and confusion. "No one told me. I figured it out." Yami explained, unable to resists a chuckle. "I figured it out the first night I arrived here."

Everyone turned him with looks of equal bewilderment.

"How'd you figure it out, Yami?" Syrus asked, curling up next to him. "No one's been to this castle in over a hundred years?"

"I read the story." Yami explained, ruffling Sy's hair.

"Story?" Chazz cocked an eyebrow.

Yami nodded. "The librarian, Mahado, he's a good friend of mine. I asked him for something new to read and he gave it to me, it was titled _The Dragon King_. I fell in love with it. I read it so many times, he gave it to me to keep." He explained, smiling with a slight blush. Wisely, he decided not to mention his childish crush on the Dragon King when he was younger. "Of course, I always thought it was only a story. I had no idea there was any truth behind it."

The four servants exchanged glances before their eyes settled on Syrus, who suddenly went crimson beneath their gazes. Overcome by shyness, the timid teen hid behind Yami, who blinked in confusion.

"I gotta hand it to ya Sy. I didn't think that trick of yours would actually work." Jesse burst out laughing, giving the smaller spirit a noogie, behind Yami's back.

"What are you two talking about?" Yami demanded, bewildered.

"Well, you see." Syrus blushed, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "I was the historian's apprentice before…you know…as well as a servant, so I decided it was only fair that everything that happened is recorded. One day I got the idea of maybe sending our story into town and maybe someone would print it. You know, encourage someone to come here and help us. But it's been a hundred years so we thought it didn't work. Guess it did. Sort of."

Yami blinked, unsure how to process the information then he smirked. "Well that explains a lot." He chuckled. The four turned to him with confusion.

"Explains what?" Jaden asked.

Yami shook his head and smiled. "Nothing, just thinking to myself."

"So uh…"Jesse started a new conversation, but was clearly nervous. "What happened, Yami?"

"What do you mean?" He asked confused.

"Between you and the Master." Jaden asked. "I mean we weren't allowed to see you and Kaiba wouldn't tell Chazz anything and…well…we just wanted to make sure nothing bad happened." Yami caught the hidden meaning behind their words, and a stab of guilt pierced his heart like an arrow.

He'd been so preoccupied trying to escape his confines and wondering what secrets Seto was hiding, he mentally kicked himself for forgetting how worried his new friends must've been for his safety. Even worse, since he snuck away from them, he could only imagine they blamed themselves for his confinement.

His gaze softened and he smiled warmly at the four of them. "It doesn't matter. What happened was between me and Seto, it has nothing to do with you guys." He explained. "And to be honest, if it hadn't been for you four, I think I'd be absolutely miserable." It was true. Even though he hadn't been in the castle long, he couldn't help but warm up to the four servants who'd done nothing but make his stay enjoyable. He was grateful for their friendship in more ways than one. "Really, I mean it."

He was unprepared for the four of them pouncing on him in a giant hug. The force sent him falling off the bed and landing on his back with the four spirits on top of him. All five of them broke out laughing.

The five stayed like that all afternoon, Yami skillfully managed to dodge any questions involving what happened between him and Kaiba whenever it came up in conversation. The five of them stayed like that until exhaustion became too much for Chazz and he curled up in a ball to sleep. Jesse soon followed him, then Jaden, until only Syrus and Yami were still awake.

Yami leaned against the head board, Jaden curled up at his side, and Syrus falling asleep in his lap. Yami carefully removed the coat Malik made him and draped it over the tiny boy. Of the four of them, Syrus reminded him the most of Yugi.

"Hey Yami." Sy mumbled, clenching his arm so tight, he started shaking.

"What is it, Sy?" He asked, gently stroking the boy's hair, something that always calmed Yugi when he had nightmares.

"Just." The boy said shaking. "Just promise me you won't get hurt okay." He said with wet eyes, as if he were having a nightmare. "I know you just got here, but I still consider you part of the family. You, Seto, Jaden, Jesse, Chazz, my brother, you're all very special to me and I don't want to lose any of you. And I don't want to see any of you sad, so please…just stay safe, okay?" He said before finally succumbing to sleep.

Yami froze. The statement almost brought him to tears. He felt his heart rip in two as he carefully removed Syrus from his lap and gently laid him on the pillow tucking him into the coat. Jaden snored loudly as he carefully tip-toed across his room. As silently as he could, he opened the wardrobe and pulled out a thick cherry color cloak, not wanting to risk ruining one of Malik's trench coats. He threw it over his silk shirt and leather pants, knowing the thick material was much better suited for the rising cold than what he was currently wearing.

Treading carefully towards the door, he carefully cuffed his hand around the knob before turning it with a swift curve of his wrist. He exhaled a breath when it opened. Malik left it unlocked. Good. It meant this was his only chance.

He slipped the door open and slid outside before taking a quick look at the four boys sleeping on his bed. A stab of guilt like a knife twisted his heart. He closed his eyes, knowing if he stayed any longer, he'd back out. He closed the door behind him with a silent squeak and gently slipped against it and exhaled a breath. "Syrus. Jaden. Chazz. Jesse. You four, Ryou, Malike. You've all done so much for me; you just met me. I can never thank you enough for all you've done for me." Tears pricked in his eyes and he made no move to stop them as he carefully removed himself from the door and crept down the hallway, a hand flat against the wall to guide him.

A sharp pain of guilt struck his heart like a rouge arrow, when he remembered Sy's promise. His fist clenched at his side. "I'm sorry, Syrus." He whispered, and bolted down the hall on the feet of a cat. "I'll keep my promise Syrus, I swear I will. I won't get hurt. But I'm not letting Seto get away from this scratched up either." His hands slid across the walls, until he felt the banister of the staircase and slipped down carefully. "There's so much about him I think I know, so much that's wrong and so much I don't know. I won't get another chance like this…to learn the truth…or at the very least."

He froze once he got to the ground level, he could easily navigate himself to the ballroom from there.

And from the ballroom, the West Wing.

"I'm sorry Syrus, truly I am." He wiped the tears with his sleeve, and hardened his gaze. "But I can't give up this chance to learn Seto's secrets. I need to know who this Dragon King is…I have to." His hand formed a fist against the wall. He hadn't noticed when he arrived, or how he managed to navigate himself so smoothly, especially in the dark, as if he knew exactly where he was going.

Shaking hands clenched the door knockers and gently shoved the massive doors open, just enough for him to slip his slim form through. Once he was through he closed the door behind him and leaned against it. His heart dropped to his stomach, with each step he took.

"Please forgive me."

* * *

(sniff sniff) Again Special Thanks to Chi since without her comment I never would've gotten the end to come out as good as it id: Yami sneaking out again was always planned but the bonding moment with the boys wove itself in and I love how it came out!

Also I got a question about why the Dragon King is referred to as Seto, Kaiba and Master well the reason for that is Seto IS the Master of the Castle so the servants call him Master in public, or address him as Kaiba in conversation because they respect him. If he permitted them otherwise he's let them call him by either his family name of his given name. When he's a lone with any of his servants the rules change and they don't have to be so formal, which is why when they were alone Malik called him Kaiba, while if Chazz is alone with him Seto is much gentler and allows him to call him Seto. Yami is the only exception to this rule: he calls Seto by his family name Kaiba when he's mad at him or because he doesn't want to be on familiar terms with him but despite himself when he's alone he always refers to him as Seto (hinthint ;) )

I am gonna have SO much fun with this story from here on out, now that I've gotten past the preludes and can get to the actual Ice-breaking of this pairing (no pun intended) Not sure when the next chap will be up but I have it all planned and in progress!


	12. Chapter 11: The Music Box

Wow...its been a month-ish since I updated this fic..., ^^' Sorry, but I had two new stories to work on: but fortunately I'm on FIRE with this story!

Wahoo! This chap broke my record: its only took a few hours to write, but it took almost a week to edit! No joke, two days after I wrote it, I edit it and added THREE EXTRA PAGES to it! XD

Now...most of you have already guess but this is the chapter you've ALL been waiting for...well (evil smirk) part one any way...Mwahahahahahahahahahahahaha

**Disclaimer: **Yugioh and all its characters belong to Kazuki Takahashi, Toei and (though it KILLS me to say it...) 4Kids Entertainment (runs to bathroom to wash her mouth out). Beauty and The beast the movie belongs to Disney and the French authoress who wrote the fairy tale. The plot, idea, Seto's room and the music box this chapter was inspired by belong to me.

**Dedications: **Thank you to all my loyal fans for putting up with my excruciating lack of updates. Also EXTRA Special Thanks to Chicary for her AWESOME betaing and for putting up with my lack of grammar and detail overloads. XD No joke, if not for her this chapter would've been SO confusing. (hugs Chicary) You're the best girl!

As always, read, review, critique, comment, ask questions and go crazy! ALSO IMPORTANT: The REAL Villain in this story is reintroduced any guess (evil smirk) come on ladies and gents, make my DAY!

Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter Eleven: The Music Box

Even at night and covered in a century's worth of dust, the Ballroom glittered with radiance. The full moon illuminated the stained glass windows in a way the sunlight never could, filling the world with colored splashes of silver-like liquid opals. The dragon design on the ceiling glowed with light, giving the illusion that the dragon was flying overhead. Given the realism, several times Yami had to remind himself it was only glass. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled as each step took him closer to the foreboding staircase.

He froze in front of the staircase, gazing up the spiraling black stairs and the veils of shadows consuming it. He took a hesitant first step and then another until he broke into a run, refusing to look back. He refused to stop, even as the staircase spiraled and the darkness, if possible, grew darker. When he reached the top, a long corridor, illuminated only by the faintest of moonlight, greeted him.

He hesitated as he took in the dark hallway. The design was similar to the hallways that led to the east wing, except one wall was made of clear windows and the other looked like a balcony overlooking the ballroom. The corridor's windows were not stain glass; instead, they were covered by tattered curtains that must've once been red or blue at some point. Time, age and dust had darkened the curtains to black and brown. In addition, unlike the vine-like wood carving in the rest of the manor, the pillars and railings of this balcony were made of metal. There were flowing, intricate swirls in heart-shaped interlocking patterns; the pillars carved in the shape of wingless dragons, connected by their tails and noses. Dust caked the floors and glass, creating a heavy fog over the windows. Shadows danced everywhere, making it too dark to even see where the corridor went. But Yami pressed onward, determined not to let anything hinder his resolve.

After what felt like an eternity, he finally approached an enormous door crafted from white birch with the engraving of a stunning dragon. Tiny crystals were embedded into the wood, forming scales, frosty sapphires made the eyes and smoothed ivory formed the claws. The carving looked so real that Yami had to bite back a scream.

Brushing aside the last strand of trepidation he felt entering the Dragon King's quarters uninvited, Yami grabbed the large door knockers and pushed the heavy doors open. He cursed his small stature when they didn't budge. He tried again and managed to push the door open a small crack. Once it was large enough for him to fit through, he slid his slim form through the door and jumped when the door shut behind him. He turned to scan the room and his eyes widened, overcome by déjà vu.

Moonlight and shadows battled against one another for control of the room. Shredded tapestries, caked in dust, hung everywhere. Broken furniture pieces scattered across the dark blue carpet. Sheets, grey from age, covered the table and chairs in the corner. Another covered an enormous wardrobe sat in the corner. The only thing that looked in prime shape was the enormous canopy bed in the corner and a blank sheet of silk hanging on the wall.

Unlike the rest of the room, it was clean silver and formed a veil covering what looked like a large indent in the wall. Curiosity getting the better of him, the rose-eyed teen crept through the room with the stealth of a cat. His steps were graceful and careful, avoiding each piece of broken furniture or anything that would make a noise. When he came to the curtain, he leaned against the wall and carefully lifted the sheet to peek inside. A glass case brushed against his fingertips, further heightening his curiosity. With a harsh yank, he pulled down the rest of the silk, kicking up clouds of dust. He covered his mouth and choked on the thick particles until they finally settled.

His eyes bulged at the sight of the cloth's secret: an enormous, stunning painting. It was about as tall as Yami and the image so realistic that Yami swore he was looking at a colored photograph. The pine border and the glass case shielded the ancient object from air, moisture and anything else that would try to damage it.

Stunned by the fine craftsmanship, Yami's fingers gently graced the surface of the glass, hoping to touch the object. The setting greatly resembled a throne room of some sort. Two cerulean curtains framed each side and, in the background, stood a tall, lean man of middle-age with neat chestnut hair and gray eyes. Next to him stood a slightly shorter woman with dramatically long raven hair and brilliant ice-blue eyes dressed in lavender. Both of them were dressed like royalty and they were holding hands.

The foreground was even more impressive. Standing before the royal couple were three young boys about a year or two younger than Yugi, and, to their right, stood a teenager, older than Atem. The tallest of the trio wore a bright, childish smile, his large grey eyes magnified by his slightly tanned skin. A wild mane of long, inky black locks fell to his hips, and, like his parents, he wore the costume of a royal. The two younger boys next to him had pale skin and wore brightly coloured clothing. One had neatly combed sea-foam green hair and dark blue eyes while the youngest of the trio had dark brown eyes and wore his dark red hair back in a ponytail. Yami's eyes rested on each one, admiring their beauty and wondering who they must've been in life. Once his eyes fell on the teenage prince, however, his breath caught in his throat and his eyes nearly bulged out of his skill.

Brilliant blue eyes like frosty sapphires met his red ones. He took a step back in shock, stumbling over a broken chair in his haste.

The dark chestnut tresses, elegant features, perfect posture, muscular physique and blue dragon-shaped armor looked familiar but the eyes were the true answer. Yami shakily looked up, unable to tear his gaze away from those brilliant, sharp, ice-coloured eyes. They were so mysterious and powerful yet carried a secret kindness. He recognized those eyes as the same eyes that belonged to the man in his dreams.

He got to his feet, only to fall backwards, stumbling over a jerky step and grunted when he hit the floor. He hissed as pain rushed up his side and back.

His mind was dominated by confusion and uncertainty. One answer led to a thousand new questions. His heart hammered in his chest as his mind raced, torn between leaving now while he was still undiscovered or staying to learn the truth behind what he just saw.

A sudden flash behind him sent his heart into his throat. His back stiffened after a shiver of terror froze him in fear. When no sound, yells or movement was heard, he slowly turned to look over his shoulder and blinked in surprise. Glowing in the corner, on an elegant nightstand, was what looked like a brilliant gold and blue star.

Ignoring his pains, he got to his feet, wondering how he missed such a sight. The light brightened even more as he approached it, illuminating the balcony and the dais the nightstand rested on. But it was only when he was close enough to touch it did he see the object was an exotic music box, more beautiful and bizarre than any he'd ever seen.

The box was crafted from sapphire in the shape of an oval with small fin-like pieces of glass fringed with gold forming a stand. An interlacing Celtic-knot of gold embroidered all around the side of the box. On the top of the box was the intricate pattern of a beautiful white dragon with expanded wings circumnavigated by a circle of gold rings. The most impressive part had to be the dragon. It was elegantly carved from ice-blue crystal and its eyes were two tiny pieces of sapphire. It was the most beautiful thing Yami had ever seen.

A small click caught Yami's attention, and his eyes widened as the top and side began to spin in opposite directions until the top popped open. The bottom of the box rose until it was even with the top where a tiny crystal dragon spun and flapped its wings as if it were dancing while the music started to play. The music flooded the room, starting off with a soft, flowing melody of medium and high notes, then gently swooping into a lower tempo, and finally picking up once again.

Enthralled by the object, Yami's hands moved independent of his mind to carefully cup the lovely object in his palms. His eyes remained transfixed on the dragon as it spun and danced. Music filled his ears, echoing around him like it did in his dreams. His body and mind were no longer his, spellbound by the object for reasons he didn't understand. _Come to me, my Prince of Dreams._

His eyes feathered closed as he absorbed the music. The image of roses curled at his feet, white wings surrounded him, a glittering castle formed on the edge of the hillside as words started to play._ To my white castle atop the shinning hill. _

Music and words flowed through his mind, soothing his heart. Each word echoed in the air like the fluttering of wings. So familiar yet he couldn't quite put his finger on it—lyrical, dazzling and enchanting. The melody curved and arched like a graceful bird rising higher and higher, then fell like the rise and fall of the sea in a timeless rhythm. _Come to me, my Key of Fire… be my Key and set me free…_

Suddenly, Yami's eyes flashed opened. Realization struck him like a slap across the face, returning him to the cold, dark reality and more unanswered questions flooded to mind. The song, the words and the images all spiralled together until the world seemed to fall apart. He suddenly felt hollow, as if he'd suddenly awoken only to discover everything he ever thought was real was nothing more than a dream. _Dream._ The very word made his mouth open in a voiceless scream.

The song. The music. Now he knew where he'd heard it before. They were the words to his poem: the song was the same song his prince sang to him in his dreams.

His entire world suddenly froze. He didn't remember the loud sound of wings behind him, or feel the music box slip from his trembling hands.

He was suddenly throne back to reality by a brutally sharp pound to his side, sending him flying across the room and crashing against the floor of the dais. Pain exploded from his bruised side and he was unable to stop the scream that ripped from his throat. He opened his mouth to glare and holler at his assailant, but froze, paralyzed instead.

The Dragon King flew across the room, his wings expanding like a shield as he threw himself to his knees, panting in shock. His eyes were fixed on the music box he cradled in his hands which he held with tenderness and care. Fear and terror were vivid in his eyes and he painstakingly checked the box for any scratches, dents or damage. Once he was satisfied, he exhaled a sigh of relief and carefully closed the box, silencing its song. Gently, he placed it back on its table.

Yami hesitantly got to his feet. He tried to move, only to be paralyzed when the King turned his attention to him. Every ounce of affection Yami had seen earlier in the Dragon King's face transformed into hate and malice. A growl tore itself from its throat, his fangs perturbed from his lips like a snarling beast and his eyes burned with anger. They were no longer the brilliant blue orbs of a human or the silted pupils of a dragon he'd grown used to. No, anger had changed them, transformed them into the incensed eyes of a ferocious beast.

Yami's entire demeanor shattered at the sight. He backed himself against the wall and his hands flew behind him as if trying to push it back, anything to get as far away from the dragon before him. Tremor racked his entire body and, for the first time since he arrived at the castle, he truly feared for his life.

"You…" The dragon King's voice was all breath and venom, so full of rage that he couldn't form a complete sentence. The teen before him opened his mouth to speak but no sound came out. Yami's voice died in his throat and he remained a prisoner in his own body.

"Do you. Have. Any. Idea. What you almost DID?" The Dragon King punctured each word in a dangerously low voice but roared the last one. He started moving towards the teen and Yami tried to move back, only to sink deeper into the wall.

"I-I-I'm sorry! I didn't—"Yami tried to speak but the words died in his throat. Only shaky gasps escaped him.

"Get out." The dragon demanded in a dangerously low voice.

"What?" Yami asked without thinking and instantly regretted it.

"Get. OUT!" The Dragon King exploded. Lighting crackled in his hands until his claws expanded and bolts of blue and silver lightning exploded from his claws, striking random places throughout the room, hitting furniture, the walls and the floor, leaving only black scorch marks in their wake.

Yami screamed. White lightning exploded before his very eyes. Focused purely on his own self preservation, his body sprang from its position on the wall, barely dodging the bolt of lightning that struck the wall and broke into a sprint. In the span of a few seconds, the teenager flew from the room, hurrying down the corridor to the ballroom, through hallways, to the front doors, and out the glass front entrance. He threw open the doors to the castle and leaped through the gates without thinking. He didn't care where he was running or noticed the unfamiliar woods flying past him as he ran. His mind forced his body to obey, focused on one thing and one thing only: getting as far away from the Dragon King as he possibly could.

Not once did he look back.

* * *

Only when Yami's scream echoed in his ears and he saw the pure terror in the boy's eyes did rationality return to the Dragon King. Anger and frustration had eased its way from his blood with the destruction he'd created, allowing the realization of what he'd just done to crash upon him like a mountain of bricks. Seto's eyes bulged in horror. He looked at his hands in revulsion as wisps of smoke escaped his palms.

"Shit!" He punched the wall next to him, leaving another large dent. His eyes flew to the scorch marks on the wall where Yami had been minutes earlier. "Shit! Shit! Shit!"

"What the hell happened?" the Dragon King looked up just in time to see Malik storm into his room, his normally stoic face wide with concern. "Kaiba, what happened? I just saw Yami running like he'd seen death itself!"

The dragon king chuckled at his steward's allusion. "He just might have."

Malik's eyes widened. "Kaiba, what happened?" He demanded, attempting to mask the worry in his voice with seriousness. His hands balled into fists at his sides.

"I lost control." Seto answered.

Malik needed no further answer. "Shit." The golden gryphon cursed. "You better go after him before he gets too far."

Laughter akin to a sob interrupted him, short and terrible. "Now why should I do that?" Seto's laughter sounded choked. Again, Malik's eyebrows furrowed with concern.

"What the devil do you mean 'why should you?'" Malik's fist started shaking, unable to believe what he was hearing.

"You saw him running away, didn't you? And for good reason! I told everyone not to expect a miracle with this boy and I was right! I was foolish to think things would change once Yami saw me for the monster I am…"

"Silence! I will not stand here and listen to you talk about yourself like that!" Seto froze and turned around, stunned. Malik was known for his temper, but he was also respectful, especially to Seto. The fact that he just lashed out against him was surprising to say the _least. _

"I beg your pardon, Malik?" He spoke in a forceful tone, but the blond stood firm and resilient.

"I've had enough of this! You listen and you listen good, Seto Kaiba!" Malik exploded. "That is a bloody lie and you damn well know it! For years everyone in this castle watched you wallow away in despair and yet we could do nothing but hope and pray for a miracle to end your suffering. Now finally, _finally _that happens and you want to throw it away!" Malik exploded, throwing his hands wildly around him.

Seto growled at him and pulled himself to his feet. "You saw what I just did! I almost killed him because I couldn't control my temper—"

"He entered _your _room! You had every right to be angry." Malik cut him off and protested. He was angry Yami had disobeyed him, but then again, he couldn't blame the boy for wanting to learn more about his master. He sensed that the second Malik began his rant about Kaiba's family. "Should you have lost your temper in such a childish manor? Of course not! You had your reasons but Yami doesn't know that! Otherwise, he would never have come here. The only reason he did is because you _chose _to ignore him!"

Kaiba froze for a moment, unsure how to answer. He opened his mouth to protest but quickly silenced himself when he realized he couldn't. How long had Yami been here? Three, four weeks? And, until their encounter in the ball room, he'd hardly even made an attempt to speak to him.

Sensing his hesitation, Malik continued, this time, in a softer tone. "Ever since he arrived here you've avoided him like a plague. Now he's tried to take the first step and it backfired. But so what? Does that mean you give up? No. That's not the Seto Kaiba I know! That's the man who was, and still is, _our King_! You're Seto Kaiba! Whenever you wanted something, you've never stopped until you had it. I know you want Yami, maybe more than you care to admit, but you do. But instead of going after him, you isolate yourself here and wallow in self pity. Why do you give up before even trying? That's not the man I admired for years, the man me and everyone in this castle is willingly risking their immortal souls for."

Seto was frozen by the boldness of the tailor's words. His old self would've been furious, but he could feel the truth behind the words, each one like a powerful blow to the heart reminding him of who he was. Who he used to be. Who he still was. Who Yami resurrected.

Malik took a heavy breath, his voice becoming civil. "I refuse to believe you've just accepted your fate and are going to throw away a blessing from heaven over something as ludicrous as a misunderstanding! In fact, if I know Yami, which I admit I do, he's probably on his way back to the manor as we speak, wondering what to say to make up for the trouble he's caused you." Malik's eyes darted to the window. The sun had long since set and dawn was hours away. "But we both know he's a novice when it comes to these woods; if you don't find him soon, you'll lose him before you even get a chance to earn him…" Stone eyes met Seto's with a devilish smirk. "And we all know how much you _hate_ to lose."

Silence, again, lingered between them. Malik stood his ground, standing firm and proud as an Alpha while Seto stared at him, his voice blank of emotion as if comprehending what he was just told. Finally, he rose from his position and flashed a small smile.

"You're right I do hate to lose." He chuckled.

"Then why not go after him?" Malik suggested gently, hope evident in his voice. "It's not too late to start fresh, you know?"

Kaiba shook his head, smiling at the tailor's enthusiasm and opened his mouth to respond but was silenced by a sharp prick at his senses. His eyes flew open in recognition and he flew to the balcony. He cursed, when he was the gates were open; they were always locked at night.

Malik blinked. "What is it?"

Seto didn't turn around. "It's _him._"

Malik's eyes widened, "Oh dear Lord in Heaven, you don't—" Malik didn't get the chance to finish before his master cut him off.

"You're in charge until I get back, Malik, and," he turned to the Steward with commanding eyes, "do _not _tell the boys about this until I get back. _Do not!_" He jumped onto the rim of the balcony, flexed his wings and, with a mighty leap, took to the air. He leapt over the roof then dropped like a stone. His wings unfurled around him and he gracefully swooped into a dive bomb before gliding across the air like a silvery-blue star.

Malik flew to the balcony and crashed into the railing just in time to see his master and king disappear behind the curtain of trees. "You better know what you're doing, Kaiba." Malik mumbled. His nails scraped against the stone as they balled into fists. "You'd better!"

* * *

Yami didn't stop running until exhaustion finally caught up with his body and his knees gave away beneath him. He crashed to the ground with only his shaky arms to hold him up. His lungs exploded from lack of air and his breathing was in heavy pants. His heart thundered against his ribs, causing pains in his chest as he tried desperately to breathe. Finally, he leaned against a tree and collapsed.

Once he calmed down, his situation and what his actions had caused came flooding back to him. His eyes bulged and his breath hitched as the memory hit him with the force of a tidal wave. "Dammit!" His hands wove into his hair and yanked the tresses as he buried his face in his knees. "How could I have been so stupid?" He scolded himself and punched the ground next to him.

Sighing in defeat, he forced himself to his feet and braced against a tree until his body had recovered enough for him to walk and started back towards the manor. The direction he was headed confused him. He knew he should be terrified. He knew he should be looking for a way back to town, back home to his brothers, instead of a prison and possible death sentence. But oddly, he didn't feel like he was returning to a prison or an apology—just the opposite actually.

"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" He mentally kicked himself and pounded his skull with his fists for letting his curiosity get the better of him. Good God, had he learned nothing from all of the times he'd been spanked or grounded for sneaking off and getting into things he shouldn't? Apparently not.

Jou, Chazz, Jaden, Syrus and Jesse had told him straight out what was in the West Wing and that Seto didn't like anyone in his private chamber. Of course, the Dragon King would be furious at him for invading his privacy! If their positions had been reversed and Seto had entered his room—even though it technically wasn't his—when he wasn't there, he'd have been pretty pissed too. Hadn't he given Atem a black eye once for sneaking into his room and going through his stuff once? He also dropped the music box, obviously something of great importance to the king… "Oh Lord." Yami buried his face in his hands, "What have I done?" Now, he may have just damaged his and Seto's relationship beyond repair all because he couldn't control his arrogant pride and childish curiosity.

Seto's chilling words echoed in his mind once again. He knew there was no way he was getting off with just a smack on the wrist this time. Seto wouldn't hurt him, but Yami would no doubt be locked in the tower for this…or at the very least he'd get a slap.

He took a breath and sighed, a harsh gust of wind suddenly chilling him to the bone, reminding him where he was. "Dammit" He swore and looked down at his attire. Silk and leather were clearly not the best clothing for the approaching winter. But that was the least of his problems.

"I can either do this the easy way or the hard way." He told himself and started down the path towards the manor. "I made a severe mistake, I admit that, so I'm going to do this with dignity and accept my punishment like a man." _And If I have to, I'll beg Seto's forgiveness. I'm _not _letting this end before it even had a chance to start. _

"My, my, how very noble of you." Yami froze in mid-step. Yami swore he'd felt his heart stop beating at the foreign voice. It sounded cultured and refined, but too cruel to be considered polite.

"Who's there?" Yami whirled around, meeting only with the wind. A sudden dread chilled him to the bone followed by a low chuckle, rich with amusement.

Yami bolted around again, and this time, someone emerged from the darkness of the forest. Red robes draped the figure from head to toe, making his face all but invisible. His eyes were hidden beneath his hood but wisps of pale red hair peeked out from beneath it.

"Who are you?" Yami demanded with bravado. The figure swooped as if to vanish, only to reappear in front of him and shove him hard against a tree, knocking the wind from his lungs. Yami thrashed like a wildcat but the figure grabbed his wrists and pinned them at his sides.

"My, my, feisty little thing aren't you?" The stranger laughed in amusement, a lecherous smile curled across his face. "I can certainly see why Seto's taken such an interest in you." He teased, richly amused as if entertaining a child.

Yami shivered at the perverted tone in the man's voice and pulled at his wrists again but the figure's grip was like iron. "Get off me! Let go!" He thundered, showing no fear.

"Ah, so you _do_ have some fight in you." His smile widened to a smirk like a predator who knew it had its prey cornered. "That's good. Very good. It's such a shame Kaiba wasn't strong enough to just take you when he had the chance. But, oh well, his lost is most certainly _my _gain." A wicked gleam filled the man's grey eyes. Yami shivered in horror, recognizing that look. The same lust he saw in Rebecca's eyes every time she looked at him.

"You'll make a lovely consort…" The figure smirked, leaning forward to claim those fiery lips as his own.

"Over my dead body!" Yami protested furiously. Before the man could respond, Yami kneed the man in the stomach. The stranger howled in pain and freed Yami's wrists in surprise. Taking advantage of his sudden freedom, Yami elbowed his assailant in the back then gave him a roundabout kick to the side, sending the man crashing into a tree. When the figure fell to the ground, Yami broke into a run and sprinted as fast as he could away from the lecher, praying for all he was worth that he was going in the right direction.

* * *

"Grr! Fiery little devil." The sorcerer groaned as he pulled himself to his feet. Under different circumstances, he'd be furious at the boy for such vulgar treatment but instead found himself amused and intrigued. He complimented the Dragon King for his tastes. "A beautiful desert rose with some fire." He chuckled. "My, my Kaiba, you _do _like exotic gems." He chuckled darkly. Unfortunately, it seemed the Dragon King's contamination was already running too deep. "Such a shame," He shook his head in disapproval. "Such a lovely specimen deserves far better than to suffer the fate that befalls the Dragon King's lover. Oh, if he'd only chosen me, he would've made a delightful bed mate. So beautiful, his fire in my bed…oh what a waste." He growled at his misfortune, before chanting a dark spell.

Wind howled and the ground shook as the spell took form and the shadows spiraled together in summoning. Black and sticky green tresses spiraled together, revealing a monstrous creature crafted of shadows. Its jaws snapped with hunger and dripped with saliva.

Its master smirked at his accomplishment. "Go. Kill the boy." The creature didn't need to be told twice and, with a powerful leap, jumped over its master and darted after its prey. Again, the sorcerer sighed. "It really is so unfortunate such a beautiful creature such as yourself had to die. But I can't possibly have Kaiba thinking you love him, can I?" He laughed like a mad man. "That would just ruin everything!" His laughed echoed throughout the forest like a swarm of ravens taking flight.

* * *

! I AM SO CRUEL! HOW MANY OF YOU HONESTLY SAW THAT COMING? XD Long live the Queen of Plot Twists!

I was so proud of this chap!

Again, special thanks to Chi for her betaing, especially for the part with Malik and Kaiba (Originally I was gonna have Zane be the one to knock some sens into Kaiba but when I went back over it, it just seemed too out of character for him and since Malik was already on a role since last chap and it fit him better, I decided to have Malik go at him: and I'm SO proud of how it came out.

I am EXTREMELY proud of this chapter, just everything and how it came out and I'm just so proud of it and everything in it: Yami, the scene with him and Seto, Yami and the villiant, Seto and Malik, the music box and that scene is my FAVORITE! I love the Music Box and its design, I'm so proud of it!

Originally this and the next chap were suppose to be one chap, but the cliffhanger for this chap was just TOO good to pass up! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA!

anyone wanna guess who the villain is? Because you won't find out until MUCH later in this story! XD Oh and no worries, I'm already halfway done with the next chap so with luck and because Chi is awesome, I should have it done next week! WOOHOO!

As always read, review, comment, critique, ask questions and go nuts!


	13. Chapter 12: The Fire Spell

(Evil smirk on face) Told you Guys I'd get this up in a week! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

**Disclaimer: **As always Yugioh and Yugioh GX and its characters belong to Kazuki Takahashi, Beauty and the Beast is a movie by Disney inspired by the French Fairy tale. However (for reasons states above) a great amount of the plot and ideas for this chapter belong to me so no stealing! You'll know what I'm talking about.

**Dedications:** Dedicated and special thanks to Chicary for being an awesome beta, and getting this back for fast, and basically being the reason I kept my promise! Thanks so much girl! This story would have way too many flaws if not for you and all your help (hugs!) Also to my good friend S.A. dragongirl, for being one of my best and favorite fans, especially of this fic! I love you girl! As always Thank you to all my loyal friends and reviewers

As always read, review, comment, ask questions, make guesses and fall out of your chairs, because just like i promised, all those of you who know the Beauty and they Beat movie, banish it from your minds because this chapter not gonna do a 180, its gonna do a fricken 360! Mwahahahahahahahahahaha!

**Long Live the Queen of Plot Twists...That's all I'm gonna say**

* * *

Chapter Twelve: The Fire Spell

Yami's legs and body screamed at him. His lungs felt like they exploded but Yami refused to stop. He thrashed and growled as claw-like branches scraped and tore at his silk shirt and pulled at his cloak. His boots sank into the ankle-deep carpet of mud and dead leaves, causing him to stumble several times. Still, he pressed onward, his heart hammering in his chest from anxiety.

"Where the hell is the castle?" He demanded through heavy pants. Blindly, he tried to navigate himself through the black woods, hoping for some sign, but none came.

A crash behind him caused him to whirl around. A loud snarl, the thunder of feet and the crushing of branches echoed in the background with the force of a stampede. Yami's heart leapt into his throat. Pain and exhaustion forgotten, Yami bolted into a sprint running as fast as he could. Snarls and claws hammered behind him but he refused to look back as the hunter chased him.

A stray root caught his ankle, dragging his footing out from under him. He crashed into the nest of icy mud and leaves beneath him. Spitting out leaves, he pushed himself to his knees and prepared to run again but froze when a huge shadow flew over him and landed in front of him. He stumbled backwards, paralyzed by fear.

His mouth opened in a voiceless scream. Tremor wracked his body, paralyzing him as his eyes met the pupil-less, soulless, demonic amber eyes of a monster. It's enormous, muscular body was covered in tight, pitch-black, hairless skin. Enormous razor-sharp talons protruded from its paws and a long, thin tail tipped with a spike curled and cracked like a whip. Its head was fat but its nose and jaw were slender like those of an alligator's and a mismatched set of jagged spires spiked from the top and bottom of his mouth. A black, forked tongue licked its lips as it stepped towards its helpless prey. Opening its jaws and flexing its claws in preparation of devouring the boy in front of him, it sprang.

Yami closed his eyes, and waited for death

But instead of death, another shadow swooped in front him and a loud bellow like the roar of a dragon echoed through the clearing, followed by a loud thud as the source of the sound landed with force. Yami opened his eyes, crystal blue glittered before him and wings unfurled to protect him as the figure stood to his full height.

Yami's eyes widened as he now stood behind none other than the Dragon King.

Seto pulled his arm back, then, with the force of a wound spring, he released a harsh punch straight into the side of the monster's head, sending it crashing into the trunk of a tree.

Yami stood frozen, too overcome by shock to move or speak.

"Don't just stand there, you idiot!" Seto's command and a harsh tug on his arm brought the boy back to reality and he jumped to his feet.

"What the bloody hell is that thing?" Yami demanded as the creature recovered from the blow and shook its head, snarling at the pair with rage.

"Shit!" Seto cursed and wrapped an arm around Yami's waist and pulled him against him. Before Yami could protest, a scream tore form his throat as he was suddenly hurled into the air by a giant gust of wind. Seto flexed his wings and, with a mighty leap, burst into the air, barely missing as the beast pounced again. Terrified and confused, Yami's arms flayed until his hands clenched the front of Seto's jacket and he buried his face in the man's coat, panting from shock. Beneath them, the beast snarled opening and snapping its monstrous jaw and sending sticky green salvia everywhere.

"Seto, what _is_ that thing?" Yami demanded as the Dragon King landed on the branch of a tree. He screamed when the beast started clawing against the trunk of the tree, attempting to climb it, but Seto was faster and slapped it in the side with a swing from his powerful tail. The beast crashed to the ground, howling furiously in its rage and began clawing once more.

"Oh no you don't!" Seto's eyes flashed with determination as he released Yami's legs and pulled him close to his body. Yami gasped at the protective—and slightly possessive—look in the man's eye. White and blue sparks danced between the Dragon King's claws before a bolt of bright blue lightning struck the beast in the chest. It howled and screamed in pain, furry burning in its soulless eyes. It pounced ferociously and sank its claws into the bark of the tree before racing towards its prey with inhuman speed.

Seto flew into the air just as the beast pounced, the swipe of its claws barely missing them. Seto landed on another tree and carefully placed Yami on a thick branch, a good distance from the beast. "Stay here!" Seto ordered, turning to glare at the beast with cold eyes.

"Wait!" Yami protested "You're not-"

Seto stopped him before he could finish. "Please, for once in your life, _do what I tell you!_" He warned with an almost desperate plea before his eyes returned to the beast. All concern melted away and his hard, stoic expression returned as he elegantly leapt from the tree and landed in a crotch position, his wings expanding to their full length.

Once the beast saw him, it bent low to the ground and crawled towards Seto like a shark circling its prey. Seto matched it with an arrogant smirk on his face.

"Come on." He tempted the beast by swatting his powerful tail around him. "Are you the best that bastard can do?" He mocked the monster, which snarled and snapped its disgusting fangs, trying to look threatening. Blinded by its anger, the monster lunged at the Dragon King. Seto dodged easily and kicked the monster hard in the gut. It recovered as it was falling and pounced with its maw open but Seto grabbed its snout and lower jaw and yanked them apart. The monster exploded with rage, struggling in vain to free itself but Seto snapped its mouth shut, struggling to lift it before slamming it against the ground. The beast squealed and rolled over, barely missing as Seto slammed his foot into the ground where it once lay. The battle raged on and Yami watched in amazement.

For the first time since he was trapped in the tower, Yami saw the _real _Dragon King. Moonlight poured through the trees, making lights of silvery-white, crystal-blue and flecks of ivory and lavender dance across Kaiba's form. The powerful appendages flapped and moved perfectly in sync with his body, either to shield him from harm, or to let him swiftly dodge the monster's strikes. His arms and legs were brawny and muscular and, covered by almost impenetrable scales, each limb moving together in swift, lethal motions. His claws were always poised to attack while his feet were quick and positioned to either dodge or strike. His body moved with all the strength and power of a dragon but the adaptability and flexibility of a human. The Dragon King was the perfect fighter.

Yami's eyes widened, enthralled even more by the sight before him. He was spellbound by the brutal but beautiful display of power the Dragon King presented. '_Just who _are_ you, Seto Kaiba?_'

Just as the Dragon King's victory seemed assured, the beast pounced again. This time, however, it landed in front of its assailant, dodging Seto's punch and leaving his un-scaled sides open. Seizing the advantage, the beast leapt forward and sank its teeth into Seto's side.

"No!" Yami screamed.

A sound between a human cry and a dragon's roar of pain ripped from the Dragon King's mouth. Blood and pain exploded from his side as he slashed the beast across the snout, causing the monster to release its hold as part of its mouth was ripped off. It wailed feebly and backed away to nurse its wound.

Seto fell back against a tree and his hand flew to cover his side. His blue and ivory hand came away red as rubies, blood dripping from his hands and speckling the frosty ground. He hissed in pain and turned to Yami, who was hastily trying to free himself from the tree.

"Yami!" He called to the boy, the pain in his eyes evident, "get out of here now!" He gestured north with his other hand. "The Castle is that way. I'll distract him as long as I can, but you'll be able to make it from here."

"But what about—" Yami protested but Seto cut him off.

"Go! Now!" Was his only warning before he took to the air as the beast lunged at him, invigorated by the smell of blood. Seto bit back a scream as his side tore during the flight. The beast took advantage of this and pounced, swatting the man out of the air. Overcome by shock, Seto crashed to the ground and didn't bother stopping the scream that escaped him.

"Get away from him, you monster!" Yami yelled as the beast stalked towards its weakened prey. Confused, it turned its head only to find its previous prey standing at the base of the tree, shaking in rage.

Seto growled and opened his mouth to yell at the boy to run, but no sound came out.

"You want me? Come and get me!" Yami's eyes blazed with fire but he wore a mocking smirk on his face. The beast growled and charged.

Yami didn't move. Instead, he backed up until his back was pressed against the trunk of a tree. He jumped and grabbed a thick but low branched with both hands and, with haste, pulled himself onto it, just as the beast crashed headfirst into the base of the tree. It howled as the action opened the wounds on its nose and it thrashed its head wildly, showering blood everywhere. Taking the advantage, Yami lowered his body on the branch, and, with the skill of a gymnast, swung his body back and forth until he swung himself into a 180 degree angle launched his body forward as it fell. His feet collided with the beast's side, sending it crashing through branches as it fell to the ground. He finished by releasing his grip on the branch and landing in a crouched position.

"What. The. Hell?" Seto gasped in a voice that was all breath, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"What?" Yami asked, panting. "You thought you were the only one who knew how to fight?" The teen didn't wait for a response and knelt down to inspect Seto's wound.

"Look out!" The dragon shouted, jumping to his feet and pouncing on Yami just as the beast lunged at them again. It sailed over them before orienting itself and sliding across the dirt, blood and saliva dripping from its fangs.

"Damnit!" Yami cursed. "This thing doesn't know when to quit!" Yami moved to grab Seto but the man grabbed him first and forced him to meet his eyes. "That thing is after _you._"

"Me? Why?" Yami protested.

"Not now!" He pulled Yami behind him and bit back a loud grunt when he put weight on his bleeding side. "Just go!" He ordered and started to walk towards the beast, but Yami didn't move. His eyes darted from the barely standing Dragon King to the beast who, despite the damage it took, looked fresh and ready to fight.

Seto saved him when that thing attacked him. Despite Yami breaking into his room, almost ruining his music box, and whatever else, he still came to help him. Now, he was willing to sacrifice himself to protect _him. _And what about the boys? Ryou, Bakura, and Malik? Mai, Joey and the girls and everyone else at the castle who needed Kaiba's protection? They would be devastated if he died. Died because _Yami _ran away.

_No! _His fists clenched at his sides. His nails sank into his palms and his face grew red with rage. "Seto," He spoke in a dangerously low voice, "get behind me." Seto opened his mouth to protest, but was silenced by the sharp look in Yami's eyes.

Yami turned to the beast with a impassive expression. He glared at the beast with hatred, wanting to blame it for all his pain. The beast's jaw formed a twisted smile before it charged towards its prey, ready to rip the boy apart.

Yami didn't move. His determination to protect the one who saved him and his anger at both the creature that hurt Seto and his 'stupid' self burned in his eyes like fire. Heat pooled in his hands, sparks forming between his fingers and crackling to life.

As the beast closed in, he turned to meet its eyes. All his anger, determination, protection and emotions spiraled together and formed one word: "Iah*!"

Without any hesitation or training, he raised his flaming hands in the air and dropped to his knees, sinking his hands into the dirt. Scarlet, gold and purple flames burst from his hands and came to life around the monster. The beast roared in shock and anguish as tongs of fire consumed its entire body. Its skin burned from is bones as it howled and wailed with an excruciating, inhuman cry of death.

Fire danced in Yami's eyes until only a smoldering pile of ashes remained. When he rose to his feet and the burning dissipated from his palms, his senses returned to him. He shook his head and looked quizzically at his hands, then back to the Dragon King, who doubled over in pain, clenching his side.

Forgetting his questions, Yami dashed to his side and hooked Seto's arm over his shoulder before helping him lean back and rest against a tree. "Hold still." He ordered once Seto sat down and swiftly removed his cloak. "You'll tear it open."

"Don't fuss." Seto responded but Yami had already picked at the threads of his cloak and ripped into long strips. Seto's eyes widened at the boy's strength, knowing full well Malik's stitches didn't rip so easily. He hissed when Yami started to tear open his coat and began to lift his shirt

"What are you doing?" The dragon tried to move but Yami held him in place.

"I'm trying to get to the wound!" He explained and shuddered when he saw just how bad the bite was. "Damn, it doesn't look deep but I'll still need to disinfect it when we get back to the manor. I hope Bakura's got yarrow tincture."

"Actually, Duke runs the green house so he's the one how takes care of—" Seto began than corrected himself halfway through the sentence. "It doesn't matter. It'll heal on its own, now let—"

"Not a chance!" Yami protested harshly, pressing a clean piece of fabric to the wound. Seto yowled at the pressure but held still as Yami tied the rest of the long strips around his hip and side, forming a make-shift bandage.

"There, that should hold it until we get back to the castle." The second he finished, Yami hooked Seto's arm around his shoulder and used the other to help him to his feet. "Can you still walk?"

"I said I'm fine, damnit!" Seto snapped and removed his arm, but the second he put pressure on his side he hissed and slouched over, Yami quick to catch him.

"If this is fine, I hope I never see your idea of mortal peril." Yami said sarcastically and allowed the Dragon King to slouch half of his body weight on him. "I'm stronger than I look, Seto."

Seto said nothing. His pride having already been wounded, he allowed the boy to help him home.

* * *

A loud oaf escaped Jaden as he rolled over, falling on the floor and landing on his stomach. "Owe." He moaned louder than intended.

Syrus stirred at the sound, slowly returning to wakefulness. He rubbed his tired eyes and fished around for his glasses, clutching the coat wrapped around him tightly. Wait…coat? He blinked and looked down at himself once he recovered his glasses. Sure enough, he was wrapped in the coat Malik had made for Yami just that afternoon.

"That's odd?" He questioned and looked around. Panic suddenly filled him when he noticed someone missing from the room. "Guys, get up! Yami's gone!" He screamed, panicked.

Jesse bounced to his feet at the sudden awakening and stumbled over the side of the bed in his shock, groaning when his back and head hit the floor. Chazz shot up and took a defensive stance as if expecting an attack.

"Owe! What in tarnation?" Jesse moaned, rubbing the back of his head.

"Crud! He's right!" Jaden picked himself off the floor and pointed to the vacant bed the four boys had previously been sleeping on.

"Shit!" Chazz cursed and leapt to his feet and bolted towards the door. His fears were confirmed when he found it unlocked. "Double shit!"

"Okay, let's not panic, maybe he just went to get breakfast?" Jesse suggested with blind optimism.

"At four in the morning?" Syrus asked skeptically. "And why would he leave this here?" He pointed to the coat.

"Uh…he didn't want you to be cold?" Jessed suggested.

"Come on!" Jaden followed Chazz, as the four bolted from the room and searched the halls. "Seto will kill us if he gets into anything he shouldn't, again."

"Let's just hope he actually listened to us this time." Chazz suggested, flexing his wings and leaping over the banister to search the lower levels.

"WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE TO MY KITCHEN?" The four nearly jumped out of their skins. Bakura's voice echoed throughout the castle, howling with anger and mortification, which only meant one thing: someone was in the kitchen and made a mess.

"Shut up, Bakura!" They bolted down the stairs, recognizing the voice of their master.

"What did I say about getting off the table, least not until I properly bandage that wound. Damn it, where is Duke?" Chazz froze when he heard Yami's voice. Jaden, Syrus and Jesse crashed into him as a result.

"I told you, it'll heal on its own!" Seto protested.

"You said that an hour ago!" Yami countered, his voice followed by the sound of shifting bottles. "Where the hell is Duke!"

"Gah! My herb cabinet!" Bakura screamed. The sound of struggling and Yami's protests suddenly grew louder as the boys got closer.

"Will you calm down, Bakura! I told you, I just need some hot water, lots of bandages, gauze patches, yarrow tincture, an aloe plant and maybe some distilled witch hazel."

"And I said be patient and wait for that damn botanist to get back!" Bakura shouted. "You're destroying my kitchen!"

"I am not!"

"Enough, both of you! I'm going to bed!" Seto roared, but it was followed by a loud oaf and the sound of something being slammed against the table.

"The Hell you are!" That voice was low and dangerous but clearly Yami's.

Not daring to enter the room, the quartet pressed their ears against the door and peeked through the cracks, hoping to get a glimpse of what was happening and hopefully some explanation.

"Move it, you four!" The four boys jumped and screamed in shock when Duke, the botanist of the castle, stormed past them and into the kitchen. His long midnight hair, normally in a ponytail, hung loose around his shoulders and looked in dire need of a comb. His usual bright, ice-green, eyes were dulled and red-rimmed from having been woken up so early and his clothes were disarranged as if he got dressed in the dark. He carried a huge plant with tentacle-like leaves, a jar of dark amber liquid and a box of clean white bandages and clothes. All of these things were dumped on the table as soon as he entered the room.

"That's everything. Now will you _please _tell me why you need this stuff in the middle of the night?" The botanist pleaded.

"I don't care!" Bakura screeched, pouring a pot of hot water into a basin on the table. "I just want everyone out of my kitchen!"

"We'll be gone as soon as I help Seto." Yami promised and started removing the temporary bandages, but Seto was fidgety and tried in vain to combat the boy's hands.

"Damnit, I said I'm fine!" Seto yelled in aggravation.

Yami growled at the man's stubbornness as he ripped away the rest of the bandages and soaked one of the cloths in the amber liquid. "And we both know that's a lie! Now hold still, I need to clean away the blood."

"Is that one of Malik's cloaks?" Duke asked, dumbly pointing to the bloody pile of tattered cloth. Malik's stitches were nearly _impossible _to rip.

"You will do nothing of the sort!" Seto ignored the botanist and focused his attention on Yami, who disregarded his commands.

The teen folded the cloth in half and pressed the yarrow-soaked cloth to Seto's bleeding wound, causing the Dragon to release a scream not unlike the roar of a dragon.

All the while, the four boys hid behind the kitchen door and watched the scene with a mixture of shock, horror, surprise and bewilderment.

* * *

"Would you hold still?" Yami snapped, pulling the cloth away.

"That stung!" Seto moved his clawed hand to cover the wound and prevent Yami from touching it but hissed every time his claws grazed the surface of the wound.

Yami snorted feeling his blood boil in rage. He'd had to drag the man back to the castle and wake up Duke to get the things he needed from the Greenhouse. Then, he had to drag Seto to the kitchen and force him to sit on the table. Bakura all but exploded when the two entered the kitchen covered in leaves, dirt, and blood, all of which were scattered all over the room. Then he practically bombarded Yami and Seto with questions when he saw the wound on the man's chest, despite Seto's insistence that it was only a scratch and that he was fine. He only managed to free himself of the whitenett's badgering by pointing to Yami digging through the cabinets for anything he could use: Bakura all but exploded. Now, Yami had to put up with the Dragon King acting like a child while he tried to remove his coat and the remains of his shirt to nurse his wounds. His already thinning patience was on the verge of snapping. "If you'd hold still, and let me clean the damn thing, it wouldn't hurt as much!"

"Well, if you hadn't run away, this never would've happened!" Seto countered in a voice bitter with sarcasm before he deliberately scolded. "Do you have idea how stupid that was? How much danger you were in! You were only lucky you were on your way BACK to the castle, or I wouldn't have been able to save you!"

Yami growled and threw down the washcloth. "Well if you hadn't started throwing lightning bolts and screaming like a banshee, I never would've left!" The teen countered, if for nothing more than to wipe the 'know-it-all' smirk off the man's face. "You scared the living Hell out of me!"

"I do not sound like a banshee!" Seto retorted, fully insulted. "Besides, you shouldn't have been in the West Wing in the first place! You were specifically told what it was, by several people I might add, and I never gave you permission to enter _my _room! How would you feel if someone entered your room without permission? And don't lie to me because we both know you've would've reacted the same way!"

Yami felt his ego bruise at that comment and opened his mouth to protest but bit back the words and exhaled. "You're right."

Seto blinked, stunned and clearly not expecting such a response. "I beg your pardon?"

"I said you're right," Yami repeated in a more civil voice. He was tired of this blame game. "I shouldn't have gone into your room without your permission and I'm sorry." His apology was sincere, but when he looked up again, his fierce eyes bore into Seto's. The dragon sat frozen by the intensity. "But I'm not the only one at fault here! _You _should learn to control your temper!"

Instantly, Seto opened his mouth to counter but immediately realized he had no answer. He felt his pride deflate when he realized the boy was right. He _had _lost his temper. Malik had spent the entire day drilling that into his skull, but he refused to take all the blame for this.

"I'm the only one with a temper, Yami, or at fault here! _You _should learn to listen and do what you're told!"

"I already know that!" Yami snapped, collapsing into a chair. "I'm too impulsive; it's one of my faults. But, to be honest, if you weren't always hiding maybe I wouldn't be so curious." He mumbled out loud, dumping more yarrow on the cloth. "I've been here almost a month and the only thing I know about you is that you have a temper, you're a control freak and you can throw lighting."

Seto snorted, but chuckled. "Haven't you ever heard 'curiosity killed the cat'?

Unable to resist, Yami chuckled. "Actually, I have. But growing up, I always heard the story of Bluebeard. You know, where the man tells his wife never to go into the locked room but her curiosity gets the better of her and she goes in and finds the dead bodies of all the wives he murdered before her hanging from hooks on the walls like butterflies in a display case? Everyone always said it was supposed to show how curiosity only causes trouble." He chuckled then smiled. "But I never believed that. I always thought that if that were true and the girl obeyed her husband, he would've just killed her anyways, and start the process all over again. But because of her curiosity, not only did she find out the truth, she and her brothers managed to kill the guy and save a lot of other girls from suffering the same fate."

He burst out laughing at the memory. "No one could answer that one, not even mother. Father finally said curiosity was a double-edged sword. It helps us learn new things and make new discoveries but if we let it get the better of us, we set ourselves up for trouble. I always let mine get the best of me."

"Obviously." Seto added before his voice took a stricter tone. "Next time you want to ease your curiosity, you should try asking."

Yami snorted. "So if I asked you, you would've let me in your room even if it was for the sake of getting to know you better?" Yami raised an eyebrow, his voice a mixture of sarcasm and teasing.

"Hell no!" Seto blurted out fiercely. He realized his mistake when the smirk on Yami's face widened. Again his pride dented. "I see your point." He mumbled with as much dignity as he could muster.

"And you say _I'm_ impulsive." Yami teased.

"You are." He countered, leaning closer to him. Since he was sitting on the table, their eyes were level with each other. "Too much. You're reckless, that's why you get into trouble. You never have the control to hold your tongue when the time calls for it, and you always put others or your pride before your own safety. There's a time and place when your own safety should be more important than defending your pride."

"Like in the woods, when the giant, hairless dog thing tried to kill you?" Yami raised an eyebrow in an accosting tone. "I don't care what happens to me if someone I care about is in danger! If I can help them I will!"

"You care about me?" Seto smirked raising an eyebrow.

A blush painted Yami's face before he growled back. "That's not the point!"

Seto chuckled. "I know what you meant." He shook his head with a small smile. "But I stand by what I told you before. If you keep focusing on everyone else's happiness and let your pride get the better of you, you'll never be happy."

The statement didn't anger Yami as much as it did the first time, but he still felt his irritation spike as a result. He opened his mouth to protest but Seto cut him off. "And everyone else who goes out of their way to try and make you happy will constantly worry about you because they know you'll always put everyone else before yourself."

Any protest or angry words died in his throat. He never looked at it that way before but it was as if the last piece of an extremely difficult puzzle had suddenly been put into place. Hadn't Atem told him something similar before he and Yugi left? And hadn't everyone else in the palace been sick with worry over him since he arrived—worse after his and Seto's fight?

He put the medical supplies down and lowered his head, his bangs shadowing his eyes.

"Why did you let me stay here?" He asked in a low voice, unsure if he wanted an answer.

Seto blinked. "I don't understand."

Yami raised his head and glared at him. "When I asked you to let me stay in Atem and Yugi's place, why did you say yes? You said so yourself, I'm nothing but trouble?"

"I never said that." Seto corrected.

Yami's glare hardened. "That doesn't answer my question."

Now it was Seto's turn to smile, a smile that curled at the corners. "You really want to know why I let you stay here?"

"Elucidate me." Yami countered.

"Because you fascinated me the second I saw you." The Dragon King raised his claws and spoke in a passionate, free-flowing voice as if he no longer had to keep something secret.

Yami almost fell out of his seat, clearly not expecting such an answer. "Beg pardon?"

"I'd never seen or met anyone like you. You found my castle all on your own, you were perfectly willing to sacrifice everything for your family and, even more impressive, when you saw my true form for the first time, not only were you _not_ afraid of me—something I didn't think was possible—you knew who I was! I didn't believe it when my staff called your arrival here a miracle and I still didn't, but everything about you astounded and bewildered me."

Seto paused for a moment, taking in the bemused and stunned expression on the boy's face. "Every time you saw me, you showed no fear; instead, you stood up to me. Hell, you even slapped me and screamed my faults right back at me! I was used to having people adore me, respect me, flee in terror at my presence, but not you. You refused to obey or respect me unless it was earned. You defy my every order for the sole purpose of learning more about this place, about the staff, about me. You countered every rule, regulation, every demand I made with one of your own and you had an answer for each one."

He paused for a moment and looked around the kitchen, not surprised to see Duke and Bakura had left. "Yet you treat everyone in the castle like people, where anyone else would've fled in terror at the sight of them. You let them pamper you even though you hate being waited on. You treat this place as if it were your home, and time and time again, you put your own needs on hold for the sake of someone else."

Yami blinked again, but Seto was unsure if he was truly confused or if he disbelieved the Dragon King meant what he was saying. "So to answer your question, Yami, I agreed to keep you here for the reason I previously stated. Everything about you fascinates me: your beauty, your intelligence, your feisty spirit, your fiery temper, your mannerisms, your fierce independence and strong will, your courage, your heart… need I go on?"

Seto smirked at the crimson blush spreading rapidly across the stunned male's face when he realized the Dragon King _was _serious. "You're like a desert rose, Yami, something so unique and powerful that it can grow in the wildest of places. You're like one giant enigma and no matter how hard I try, I can't figure you out. But mark my words, I plan to."

Yami just sat there for a moment, too stunned to speak. His mind was still trying to process what he was just told, completely ignoring the blush he knew was blazing across his face. When his mind finally put everything into perspective, he smiled a small smile and laughed. "Funny, back home everyone but my brothers considered me everything from 'odd' and 'peculiar' to 'weird' and 'bizarre' for the way I am. And yet here, everyone seems to _like _me for that reason."

Seto just laughed. "Then those ignorant, backwards fools need to get their pompous behinds out of the past and accept the end of aristocracy. I've been trapped in this castle for over a hundred years and I know full well things are much different."

Yami couldn't help but laugh. "Agreed." He flashed a small smile before turning back to the cloth soaked in yarrow medicine. "Now hold still and let me finish cleaning this. It'll sting a bit." He warned before gently pressing the liquid drenched cloth to the wound.

Seto bit his lip, a hiss making his pain evident but he held still while the boy gently worked.

"Just a little longer, I promise." Yami tried to comfort him, throwing away the dirty rag and grabbing another one. Once the wound was clean, he screwed the yarrow jar shut and took out a cotton-padded patch large enough to cover the entire wound. He grabbed one of the thick aloe leaves, cut it open and squeezed the clear gelatin onto the patch before carefully spreading it all over.

Seto watched patiently as he emptied the entire leaf until it curled. Once that was done, Yami carefully lifted the patch from the bottom and pressed it to the wound. Seto hissed, but this time, he only felt a slight discomfort.

"Don't worry." Yami answered, wiping off his hands. "Its aloe, it's more soothing than yarrow and it'll stop the itch. It's also a very powerful disinfectant." He explained, pressing his hand to the patch gently. "Now, I just need you to remove your coat so I can bandage it."

Seto shrugged the garment off his shoulders, revealing his entire upper body. Yami bit back a blush as the naked flesh was revealed to him. Silvery-blue scales danced up Seto's arms from his elbows to his shoulders where the fin like appendages spread. His wings expanded to their full length and more scales grew from them and down the spine of his back towards his tail. His neck, torso and stomach were rich caramel-colored flesh. Yami grabbed the bandages and carefully began wrapping them around Seto's waist.

"You're a good nurse." Seto replied, noticing how skilled the teen was.

"Thank you." Yami forced down another blush.

"Where'd you learn this, if you don't mind me asking?"

"My father taught me." Yami replied. "His family was well known for their knowledge of herbs and since we traveled a lot when I was younger, we had to make sure we knew what to do in case one of us got hurt before we reached the next town or doctor. Most of the time, it was just me though. Father always teased me, saying that was why the yarrow stung: it was both a healer and a punishment for misbehaving."

Seto chuckled. "Sounds like the two of you were close."

"Oh yes," Yami smiled. "Our middle names are from the parent we took after. Atem's was after mother, Yugi's was after grandpa and I was after my father. Mother always said I got my willfulness and spirit from him." His smile widened at the warm memories. Seto in turn, felt a grin curl across his face at the boy's exuberance. "Ever since I was little, he would always buy me the most beautiful and bizarre things wherever we went and he'd tell me stories about them. My favorites were always the ones about how our family descended from a powerful line of pharaohs from Ancient Egypt."

Seto laughed. "He sounds like a good man. My father was like that as well. He always told me our family was chosen by the legendary White Dragon to protect this kingdom from corruption and prejudice. Obviously, this castle's theme was modeled around that myth."

"I noticed." Yami replied, as he tied the bandage tightly. Once he was finished, he frowned and turned away again.

Seto looked concerned until he noticed another blush forming on the boy's cheeks. "Thank you, by the way." The teen finally spoke.

"Hmm?" Seto blinked, confused.

"Thank you, for saving me."

Now it was Seto's turn to blush, but he hid it by coughing in his hand. "You're Welcome. And thank you…for coming back." He added.

Yami turned to him with another smile. "I made a promise and I intend to keep it."

"Oh," Seto replied, sounding a little disappointed. "Is that all?"

"No, that's not all." Yami giggled a bit. "Honestly, I like it here. It's nice to be away from that town for a while and I'd feel bad if I left everyone without saying goodbye. Besides, I want to get to know you too."

Seto just smiled and gently ran his claws through Yami's hair before scooping him into his arms like a bride. The teenager wailed at the sudden movement. "H-hey! W-wait a minute!" The teen protested.

Seto smirked and laughed. "Don't think this means you're off the hook, Yami. You're still in big trouble for going in my room."

Yami snorted and crossed his arms. He hated being carried. "Please, like I'd make that mistake!"

* * *

The staff backed away as Seto flew through the hallway with his captive in his arms. The four teenagers stood frozen, their eyes bulged and their mouths dropped in identical masks of shock. Duke and Bakura, who'd snuck away as soon as Seto and Yami began their spat, were equally bewildered.

"Um…" Jaden mouthed, pointing to where the two men just were. "Did they just—"

"Uh-huh." Chazz nodded.

"And then they—" Jesse continued.

"Yup." Syrus finished for him.

Bakura's chuckle broke the silence. "Well, well," The chef laughed, before his smile curled mischievously. "This is certainly an interesting turn of events, isn't it?"

* * *

(Queen sits on her black throne in the shape of a birch tree wearing a black and red dress and with a Kuriboh in her lap, another on her head, one on each shoulder and one holding onto her staff) **Long Live the Queen of Plottwists...That's all I have to say ...What did I tell you guys: Total 360, and like i said all those who know the movie, banish it from your skull because I'm taking a MAJOR creative license from here on out!  
**

End Notes:**  
**

*Iah—Coptic/Ancient Egyptian for "flame" or "fire"

Notes on Herbs: (these are actual medical plans still used around the world today (most of them are used in modern medicine or directly from the plant to prevent contamination)

Aloe: Used primarily for cuts, abrasions, burns and anything wrong with the skin; the inner leaves contain a gel that is used as a powerful antibacterial smeared over the wound in order to prevent infections; contains vitamin C and E; fresh pressed juice/gel from the leaf is the best to use (only leaves a foot long or longer should be cut in order to prevent harming the plant); the cream is also very soothing and used to ease the pain and itches of burns, abrasions and skin rash.

Yarrow: a powerful herb with an ancient reputation as a wound herb; used to staunch bleeding and disinfect wounds (juice form leaves makes a stringent swab that encourages clotting); aerial parts an essential oils are used.

For disinfection: dry or fresh herb and oil is distilled in water or alcohol to creature a tincture (alcoholic extract of leaves or plant)

Warnings: Can cause allergic skin reactions in people who have an allergy to the Asteraceae family; DO NOT USE OVER EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME


	14. Chapter 13: The Truth Behind the Mask

*Moment of silence* I did it...I Finally FINALLY GOT THIS DAMN THING POSTED! (angel choir) Ha-lay-lu-ya-ha-lay-lu-ya! Lay0lu-ya)

(passes out) Okay, long story short, this chapter was a BITCH to write, and i know I promises it up sooner, but Alas, when i say bitch I mean BITCH! Oh my god it was So hard to put this thing into words, it got rewritten like six times during the writing process, after i decided i wanted it to be more of a milestone chapter rather than the filler it came out to being. My god, I can;t TELL you how hard it was to write this. I kept having to make sure they were in character, I had to balance out the dialogue with action-then i wanted to show a little transition without making it one of those-oh they're gonna be nice to each other now because i will be DAMNED if i let Yami and Seto get together THAT easily-(headesk) so yeah, add that to the fact August was shot by my family and I moving to Baltimore, moving to my mom's apartment, me moving back to college and all the reading and homework i still have-so yeah, it was hell.

So I apologize for the HORRIBLE hainus, but I provided a really good really long chapter to make it up to you all.

I actually considered splitting this chapter in half-but after a lot of thinking and a small war with myself, I decided against it, since there was no way i could shorten it without cutting it off in the middle of chapter, making the first one extremely short and the next one having the bulk of what i was getting at or turning this current chapter into a filler so there ya go. Sorry about the length

**Disclaimer: **Yugioh, Yugioh GX and all its characters belong to Manag genius Takahashi, and though i love them dearly they will never be mine. Also any references to beauty and the beast belong to Disney or to Jeanne-Marie Le Prince De Beaumont who wrote the original fairy tale.

**Dedications: **Dedicated to Chicary and Tavia454, Chicary for being the best beta alive, and putting up with my horrid grammar, Tavi for her wonderful feedback and second opinion, and both of them for keeping me sane and helping me through this MONSTER of a chapter.

**As always read, review, ask questions, comment CRITIQUE (i can't stress that enough for this one) and go nuts! and of course Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen: The Truth Behind the Mask

_Running, running was all he could do. His heart screamed in his chest; air pounding in his ears. His bare feet hammered against the carpet of mud and leaves. Branches ripped at his clothes and raked across his skin. Still, he continued to run. He couldn't stop. He wasn't sure what he was running from._

_ Cold laughter echoed around him. Howls of blood lust sent shivers racking his entire form. Fear raced up his spine. No matter how far he ran or how fast, the laughter grew closer, taunting him. _

_ Still, he ran until something caught his foot and he fell to the ground. He tried to escape but something grabbed his ankle. He spun around and screamed; something was crawling towards him. Hair like spilled blood pooled around the creature's shriveled black skin. Its crooked jaw of decayed fangs opened impossibly wide. Gaunt hands and spider limbs emerged from its decrepit body, shaped like a half buried corpse. Blank red eyes pierced straight through him._

_ The creature's crawled towards him; its claws sank into his ankle, imprisoning him. Too terrified to move or even close his eyes in preparation for the blow, he screamed._

_ But the strike didn't come._

_The maniacal laughter vanished, a more forceful voice banishing it to silence. Even the creature looked up from its kill in horror at the sound…a sound it knew too well. It was the protective, domineering roar of a dragon._

_A powerful force crashed through the forest, scattering trees. A blast of crystal blue exploded from the darkness of the forest, shining like a brilliant crystalline silver star against the dark sky._

_Stunning wings unfurled and stretched across the sky as the new presence took shape, its powerful neck and head rose to roar once again. Powerful limbs unfolded from its body; ivory claws uncurled from its feet and talons. Brilliant blue eyes like frosted sapphires glittered in the night._

_He knew the demon, even from his place, lying on the ground. It flew straight towards him: the beautiful white dragon, the legendary guardian of the kingdom._

_The dragon landed above him and the creature retracted with__fury and fear. He screeched in rage, watching the guardian stand protectively over the limp body of its prey. _

_Regaining control of his body, he sat up and tried to move, but the dragon's tail wrapped around his waist, pulling him away from the crossfire. The creature screeched in rage, seeing the object of its desire in the possession of the being it despised. Again, it lunged towards its prey but the dragon was faster. Claws blocked its path, its jaw snapped at the demon with sharp teeth._

_The creature froze in its place, powerless when the dragon released an earth-shattering roar._

_Defeated, the creature fled into the darkness of its forest but the Dragon was quick to chase it, stomping its feet and roaring loudly, ensuring the demon would never return._

_He jumped to his feet as the dragon's eyes turned to him; nervously taking steps backwards until he stumbled in his fear. But he never touched the ground, instead the dragon's rough tail whipped around his lower back, helping him regain his balance. It didn't, however, stop his shaking. _

_The creature was gone, but that didn't mean the dragon was an ally. Now that its competition was gone, the dragon could just as easily turn on him and swallow him whole._

_He stumbled when the dragon moved towards him. Its tail removed itself from him and the dragon bowed in submission, laying its head low to the ground._

_He stood still, unsure how to respond. His rose red eyes met the eyes of the dragon and he gasped. Those brilliant blue eyes were unlike what he expected. Instead of the sharp, almond-shaped eyes of a dragon: instead round orbs and white pupils illuminated the striking blue irises He recognized those eyes._

_His shaking hands reached towards the dragon's head, brushing the smooth surface. Warmth fluttered beneath his fingers. The dragon purred beneath the touch and he smiled. He rubbed his hands over the dragon's snout and it closed its eyes and nuzzled his hair. He returned the affectionate gesture by pressing his forehead to the dragon's, greeting him as if meeting an old friend._

_Somewhere in the far off distance, the creature howled with a cry of anguish so vile only __vengeance __could sedate its bloodlust__._

Yami's eyes flew open, stunned from the sudden return to reality. His vision too blurry to recognize where he was, his hands searched for anything familiar. They brushed something muscled beneath him and a leathery texture stuck to his lower half.

"You're finally awake." The sudden recognition of that voice cleared his head. He shot up only to meet Seto's smirking face. Yami slowly took in their current position, only to find himself on a couch in Seto's room, covered by Seto's coat, with his head in Seto's lap. His face went crimson.

_I fell asleep…_Attempting to hide his mortification, Yami quickly buried his face in the couch. A loud chuckle made him growl as he met his host with a glare. A blush dusted his cheeks, not failing to notice Seto was still shirtless. Choosing to remain silent, and salvage his dignity, he rose to his feet with as much pride as he could muster.

And instantly regretted it when his skin flamed.

"The devil?" He glared down at his attire. His clothes crumpled from sleep, but the tight leather pinched and stuck to his skin. The slightest movement made his skin itch horribly, igniting a hiss from his mouth. He bit his cheek to keep from voicing his discomfort. His shirt, no better, had been torn in several places and splattered with dirt and debris. Bits of leaves and mud encrusted patches on both burning his skin with irritation. No wonder he felt so uncomfortable.

"You might want to avoid Malik when you change your clothes." Seto warned, getting to his feet, but Yami just looked at him confusion.

Seto flashed a playful smirk, chuckling "Malik takes his job as tailor _very_ seriously." He scanned Yami from head to toe, taking in the wrecked state of his attire. "He may like you, but the second he sees what you did to that outfit, he'll throw a fit."

Yami groaned from both stiffness distaste. "Great." He sighed, than jokingly smirked. "But I think if I can put up with your temper, I can survive Malik's."

Seto shot him a glare. "Perhaps." He said blandly, a smile curled across his lips. Yami shivered, but before he could respond, Seto, with a flap of his wings, was already across the room. He jumped when Seto landed in front of him and, with a single tug, was heaved back into his arms.

"What! Hey! Seto, put me—" Yami screeched at the sudden action, his face tuning purple and his limbs flailing, more out of embarrassment than anger.

Seto rolled his eyes laughing, as the teen growled, the heat in his cheeks intensifying. "Will you calm down? You'll pass out if all that blood keeps rushing to your face." He teased.

Yami silenced in an instant. He didn't dare look Seto in the eye, already so red it had to be hazardous to his health. A loud yelp escaped him when a sudden drop broke him from his stupor. Seto's tail wrapped around Yami's waist, letting the extra balance help the teen find his footing.

"I warned you." Seto half teased, half groaned in annoyance. Yami ignored the bruise to his ego and turned to scan his new surroundings.

He found himself in a smaller room conjoined with Seto's, lined with nothing but clothing. Yami's eyes spiraled, scanning the plethora of long trench coats, jackets and cloaks in a myriad of cool colors, accessories and decorations. Shirts and pants in all varieties of materials and colors; from black to blue to white lined another wall. Boots and shoes carpeted the floor. Briefly, he wondered briefly if Malik had made them all.

"What's all this?" Yami asked his host.

Seto crossed his arms and leaned against the wall with a smirk. "My closet, obviously," he stated the obvious in a tone that made Yami roll his eyes. "I'd have to be heartless to send you back to Malik looking like that, so for now, you can borrow some of my clothes. Then, once you're done, you can start your punishment," he said causally, as if commenting on the weather.

Yami jumped. "P-punishment? What are you talking about?"

A wicked grin played across Seto's face. "Remember what I said last night? You're still in trouble for entering my room without permission. If memory serves, I believe you were informed last night that you're not off the hook."

Yami snorted. _Oh, that. _"I remember," he replied, disgruntled. "I don't suppose the fact that you tried to zap me counts for something?" He knew it wouldn't but it couldn't hurt to try.

Seto chuckled softly and shook his head. "Just get dressed." Seto answered, removing himself from the wall and scanned about the room. "Now let's see if we can find anything that will fit you."

"I can dress myself thank you!" Yami growled in annoyance. Seto either chose to ignore him or didn't hear, his hands thumbing through the wardrobe, looking at each outfit, then back to Yami, sizing him up quickly.

"Kaiba! I can take care of myself!" Yami growled again loudly, purposely brushing against the taller male and began his search.

"I'm aware of that, Yami." Seto replied, grabbing the teen's arm as he walked by. "But given the obvious height difference, I doubt you'll find something that fits _without _my help."

Yami closed his mouth, refusing to admit the man was right. Instead, he turned his attention back to the rack he'd been searching. Annoyance growled in his voice, as everything he found hung off him ridiculously. Still, he scanned each wardrobe, running his fingers over the variety of materials.

Finally, his fingers brushed over a rich violet jacket and a matching pair of pants, neatly folded on a small table. He pulled them out and tested the jacket before smiling. "Can I keep these?" He turned to Seto.

The Dragon king, turned his attention, sizing up the clothes in the teen's arms, surprised. "Malik must've stopped by," he concluded and shrugged his shoulder. "As long as they fit, but here," he selected a black tank top from one of the drawers and tossed it to Yami with a grunt. "That should fit you." He nodded making an exit.

Greatly relieved by the privacy, Yami exhaled. Unbuttoning his shirt, he double-checked to make sure no one was watching and changed quickly. The satiny spandex-like material of the shirt and pants felt powerful against his tight skin. Once changed, he scooped the discarded garments and dumped them in a nearby hamper. Maybe he could wash them before Malik found out? How hard could it be to get grass and mud stains out of leather and silk?

"You finished yet?" Seto called with impatience.

"Yes!" Yami growled, shuddering at the fate no doubt awaiting him. _I can do this the easy way or the hard way,_ he reminded himself. _So I will do this with dignity and accept my punishment like a man._

Pride in his step, he rejoined his host, welcome by Seto's waiting gaze. Determination glittered in the deep cerise depths of his eyes, willing to submit only to his penance. "What must I do to atone for breaking into your room unannounced and all the other trouble I caused?" He asked mutinously.

Seto's brow arched at the tone. A smile slit his face. "I'd hope that spark of yours would've diminished a bit by now, but once again, I am mistaken in my assumptions of you, very well." Arrogance marred the casual tone in the King's voice. Perching himself in a nearby arm chair, his fingers curled at the corner of his chin, watching as Yami stood firm like an innocent criminal awaiting the final decision of the King.

"Since the punishment must fit the crime and you _did _cause quite a scene, I think it's obvious what your punishment should be." Yami resisted the urge to flinch when Seto's smile curled at the corners like a child who had a sinister new game to play, the kind that ended with bruises or small, wounded animals. It took all of Yami's will power not to close his eyes in preparation for the blow.

"You have to clean my room." Seto decided, casually.

Yami's jaw dropped. "I beg your pardon?" He spoke subconsciously. His eyes went wide and his mouth formed a small 'O' of confusion.

Seto laughed. "Of course! Since our argument created a bit of a mess and, obviously, this room hasn't been cleaned in a while, I think the best thing you can do is straighten it up a bit, don't you agree?" Kaiba toyed like a parent playfully scolding a child for its mischievous curiosity.

"You can't be serious!" Yami protested, flabbergasted. He didn't even try to mask his bewilderment at such an extremely light sentence, though his pride shuddered at thought of performing such a debasing task. "I hate to disappoint you, Seto, but I am no maid! And how exactly am I supposed to clean this place without any supplies?" He gestured a hand to the insane amount of dirt, dust and soot caking the walls, floor and furniture.

After a short gaze around the room, Seto answered. "You can start by changing all the sheets and curtains; they're in need of a wash anyway. Just bring them to the washroom and ask Serenity for some fresh ones."

Yami nodded, deciding it was better not to complain. _It could be worse. _He decided. _A _lot _worse._

Removing the curtains, he wrenched the sheets from the chairs and coach. A cloud of dust filled the air, making him cough. He shuddered when he noticed Seto's eyes following him. "Do you mind?" Yami snapped.

Oh, what he wouldn't give to swat that smirk straight off Kaiba's face.

"As a matter of fact, yes." Seto rearranged himself in his chair, leaning back with his arms braced behind his head. "I rather enjoy watching you work. Besides, I can't have you getting lost again, can I?"

"I was coming back!" Yami protested harshly, almost ripping the mesh curtains hanging over the balcony in his anger.

"I'm aware of that, Yami." Seto raised a finger like a children's teacher correcting a wrong answer. "But you still got lost on the way back, correct?"

Yami growled and 'hmphed', refusing to accept defeat but knowing he had no further protest. Smirking, Seto let him return to his work, scanning the attire Yami had chosen.

The spandex-like material molded his skin perfectly while the jacket flared over his hips. He licked his lips, watching as they accentuated the young man's lithe form. _I must remember to thank Malik for leaving those here._

_I want to get to know you too. _The sentence flashed across his mind. He mentally smacked himself for his idiocy.

Last night had been…interesting, to say the least, but he couldn't deny he liked having the teen so close to him. Anyone else would've left him alone in the woods and fled for safety, but, once again, not Yami—the stubborn teen refused to obey him, even when his own life was in danger.

His talons gently brushed across his bandaged abdomen. He hissed at the stinging sensation that emerged as a result. He hated admitting it, but it would've been a lot worse if it hadn't been properly bandaged. Yami had done an excellent job.

He smirked again, recalling those delicate fingers smoothing over his wounds and the blush on Yami's face as he did so. And the smile on his face when he'd asked him about where he learned such talents. The same smile he'd seen on his face the first time he'd arrived at the castle and met his staff. He'd longed to see that smile again, but he'd accepted it wasn't meant for him—or at least that's what he thought.

He felt his ego bruise a bit when he recalled Malik's scolding the previous night. "God Damnit!" He cursed himself, burying his forehead in his fingers and slouching in his seat. _I hate being corrected. God damn it, I hate it!_

"Are you alright?" Seto shot up so fast he almost stumbled. Yami stood in front of him, holding a handful of dust-caked curtains and sheets.

"Yes, I'm fine." He lied, forcing a smile. "Do you need help?" he asked, but regretted it when the boy looked at him like he'd grown an extra head.

"It's fine." Yami replied with a shrug. Seto frowned and clenched the couch cushions, his claws gently piercing the thick fabric.

Why did Malik always have to be right? The ice between the two was thin enough already and the last thing the King wanted was another argument between the two. The last two weeks of them trying to dominate and outwit the other had done nothing but left him sick with migraines.

"Master?" Jesse called from the other side of door, shaking the Dragon free from his string of thoughts. He looked up, only to see Yami had already answered the door.

"Yami?" The specter jumped in surprise. "What are you doing here?" He choked out, flabbergasted.

"It's a long story." Yami grumbled trying to fight down the red he felt heating his face. He couldn't even imagine what this must've looked like. Hell, back in Hawkins Hallow, being in a room with the same man for more than a few hours would cause more gossip than a man with a more than one mistress.

"Yami's just receiving his punishment." Seto replied as he elegantly unfurled himself from his seat. He strolled across the room, carrying all the grace and majesty of a high king and delicately placed a clawed hand on Yami's shoulder.

The teen shivered, remembering the last time he felt those claws on his shoulder. But, unlike before, the shivering wasn't from fear. "He's making me clean his room." Yami snorted at the comment, not bothering to hide his displeasure about it.

Jesse then turned to his master with a small frown. "Oh Kaiba, that's low, I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy."

"I'm not making him clean the whole thing!" Seto protested, somewhat childishly. Jesse blinked at the response while Yami just laughed and continued folding the dirty curtains.

Seto snorted.

"Uh, anyway…" Jesse announced, turning Seto's attention back to the blue-haired youth who now sporting a nervous smile. "Bakura just wanted me to tell you we need more apples."

Seto raised a brow. "What happened to the bushel we already had?"

"Yeah… about that…" Jesse looked at the ground, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "You remember when I said our new stable guest likes apples?" He explained. Had he been alive, sweat would have been pooling down his face.

Seto pinched the bridge of his nose. _Crazy horse is as bad as his master. _A wicked idea came to mind; he shot up and watched Yami hum while he continued his work.

"Really now?" he announced purposely. "That's a shame. If he was up to the task, I was going to have him reward our little Yami for finally behaving."

Yami dropped the cloth. "Reward?" He half squeaked, half mumbled, unsure if he had heard right.

Seto smiled victoriously. "Yes, since I admire your willingness to accept responsibility for your actions, so I decided to do more than just give you back your rights to explore the grounds as you wish." Seto explained, smiling at the adorable bewilderment on the teen's face. "I'm sure your horse would enjoy a ride this afternoon."

"Phantom?" Yami jumped. "He's here? When? How?" Phantom had been here the whole time? Three weeks and he'd never known? He'd been so focused on his current situation that his most loyal companion was left forgotten. Eventually, he'd just assumed he'd returned home with Yugi and Atem.

"Where is he?" Yami pleaded, suddenly overcome by guilt until he felt gentle talons soothingly stroked his shoulders. He looked up and found himself facing warm, slit, blue eyes.

"Relax, Yami." The Dragon King replied before gently placing a stray lock of the boy's blond bangs behind his ear. "He's in the stable out back. Jesse's been taking care of him for you. His brother runs the stable here. When you finish, you can take him for a ride if you wish. And if not, well then you'll just have to see him tomorrow."

Jesse waved guiltily at him. "I'm sorry, Yami, I honestly thought you knew."

"It's not his fault." Seto sighed, turning away. "You haven't been outside in three weeks; it's no surprise you didn't know."

"No!" Yami stopped him, refusing to let anyone play another blame game. "It's alright really, I'm just glad he's safe. I'd never forgive myself if something happened to him." He finished quickly before turning back to the pile and picked it up, more determined than ever to finish his work. "Where do I bring these?"

"Jesse will show you." Seto smiled, not failing to notice the rising brightness in the teen's crimson eyes.

"Okay," the teen turned on his heels and walked out. Yami followed without hesitation, stopping in the doorway. "Seto?" he called.

The Dragon King's eyes widened with surprise. Had he forgotten something?

Yami turned on his heels, wearing a bright smile and bowed slightly, despite the mass in his arms. "Thank you." He said, before flashing another smile and chasing after the stable boy.

Seto stood frozen in place, unsure what to make of what just happened. He hadn't expected that…but that smile. Something light filled his chest and he paused for a moment to steady it. He flashed a smile of his own, embedding that brilliant, bright smile permanently in his memory.

* * *

Yami stumbled as he carried the large bundle of clean sheets and thick curtains in his arms, balancing a bucket filled with bars of soap, clothes, and oil polish. Immediately, he dreaded the job but the thought of seeing Phantom sent a thrill of exuberance through him.

Yami chuckled to himself. _Best be careful, Seto, otherwise I might suspect you're trying to butter me up._ He chuckled to himself. He couldn't deny it was nice being able to spend time with the man without having to worry about setting off his temper or arguing with him, but if Seto thought he would be that easy to win over, he was sadly mistaken.

_We'll see who can figure out the other first, won't we, my dear Dragon King_? Yami giggled. His eyes lit up at the challenge until the weight of the objects in his arms brought him back to reality. He groaned in annoyance. "First things first," he reminded himself of the task at hand.

When he found Seto's room again, he was surprised to find the door open and the room empty.

"Now where did he disappear too?" Yami wondered briefly. Shrugging he set the items on a clean-looking spot and dug out the bucket, oil varnish and a half-melted cake of soap. He dumped the soap in the bucket and filled it with water from the bathroom, and poured a generous amount of varnish into the water. Supplies in hand, he turned to his opponent and glared.

Crimson orbs darted from the dust-caked furniture to the smudges on the wall, to the scraps of glass and furniture scattered across the floor. Fortunately, the sheets had done their job, the couches and chairs were free of dirt.

He set the bucket on the floor and fished out the leather gloves Malik had given him and slipped them on, refusing to risk cutting his hands. Carefully, he gathered the scraps and put them in a pile out of the way until he could figure out what to do with them. Fortunately, none of the pieces were too heavy or large, but the tiny scraps littered the floor. Dropping to his hands and knees, he meticulously scanned the floor until he'd moved every visible scrap to a harmless location.

"Thank god," he sighed and fell back on his knees, pulling off his gloves and tucking them into his pocket.

Not wanting to ruin any more clothes, he slipped off his jacket and placed it on a nearby chair, and tied a clean cloth around his mouth to keep the dust out. He grabbed the bucket, the rags and the rest of the equipment and began attacking the layers of dust covering the furniture. Painstakingly, he dug into each crevice, leaving a glossy trail in his wake.

By the time he finished the furniture, the dust and holes cakes the rag, making it useless, and his fingers looked like whit raisins. Ignoring it, he fished out another cloth and attacked the walls. He growled as higher smudges mocked his height and stretched on his toes, scrubbing the black smudges, fiercely. His arm screamed with each stroke. When he couldn't bare the pain, he finally receded and switched hands letting his sore arm fall limp at his side.

He exhaled deeply in liberation an hour later from exhaustion. His eyes wandered from the pale spots on the wall to the smudges on the floor. Groaning, he dunked a thicker rag in the bucket and carpet and brushed with passion. He stopped and wiped the sweat from his brow, his arms ached with stiffness. When the last black smudge faded, leaving bright blue in its wake, he threw the destroyed cloth in the bucket and struggling to lift it. His muscles screamed at him, until he dumped his burden in Seto's bathroom sink.

Free at last, he rewarded himself by collapsing in the nearest piece of furniture—which turned out to be the bed.

"Thank god." He sighed in relief and let gravity sink his body into the softness of the bed, his arms liquefying with numbness when he tried to move them. His legs dangled over the bed side. A smirk of victory crossed his face.

_Now all I need to do is replace the sheets and I'm done_. He boasted proudly to himself.

How long had it taken to do the whole thing? An hour, two hours? He lost count, it hadn't felt that long. Then again, for all he knew, he'd been asleep most of the morning and it was already late afternoon. He wasn't sure he cared anymore. Finally, his body gave and he closed his eyes in relaxation.

* * *

"Good Lord, did you do everything?" Yami's eyes popped open. He jumped in surprise and whirled around just in time to see the Dragon King standing in the doorway balancing a tray of food in his hands. His eyes scanned the room from top to bottom, raising an impressed brow. "You did a nice job."

"Thank you." Yami smiled, pushing himself to his feet, stumbling slightly from the heaviness of his body. Did he fall asleep? "I still have to do the sheets before I can see Phantom, right?"

Seto frowned, but before Yami could ask, he gestured towards the window. Yami's heart sank. Darkness had already crept across the sky, and the last traces of sunlight were the deep purple and reds of dusk. "That's impossible! I only lied down for a few minutes…" he protested, his eyes unintentionally drawing him to the window, pressing his forehead against the glass.

"You must've fallen asleep." Seto concluded, looking around the room again. "Not that I blame you, you certainly did more than I expected."

"Damnit!" Yami cursed and pressed his head against the glass hard enough for the sound to echo. "All that work for nothing!"

"Hardly," Seto corrected, laughing at the teen's mild tantrum. "Now you'll have the entire day to spend with your horse, and just in time too, it's suppose to be nice tomorrow, according to Marik." He set the tray on the table, strolled over to the teen and gently grasped his shoulders. Yami was taken aback when he was pulled from his position and guided towards the table.

He, nonetheless, took a seat in a chair far too big for him; his stomach sang with glee at the sight of the food Bakura must've prepared for him. The thick aroma of spices and meats caused his mouth to water. When was the last time he ate?

"Now eat before it gets cold, otherwise you'll give Bakura a heart attack." Seto said, motioning for the teen to eat up. "Besides, I know for a fact you haven't eaten since yesterday and you're much too thin as it is."

Yami surrendered, his eyes widening as he took in what Bakura had prepared.

A large bowl of thick, creamy tomato soup rich with four cheeses filled a small soup bowl. A plate of bread spread with garlic and herbs and mushrooms boiled in butter and garlic and stuffed with herbs formed the appetizers. A whole hen baked to a golden brown and dressed with chestnut and hazelnut stuffing formed the centerpiece. Garlic butter dripped down the sides. A separate plate of roasted eggs, potatoes sprinkled with parsley and a plate of biscuits sat next to it. A light blackberry wine in a large crystal bottle and two jeweled encrusted goblets completed the meal.

He wasted no time, and dove for the closest thing he could find. Devouring the soup, a biscuit, and the spread toast, he moved onto the mushrooms. He ate half the chicken before Seto grabbed his hand and offered him a goblet of wine. "Slow down before you choke." He commanded.

He swallowed a mouthful of food and blushed, mortified by his bad manners. "Sorry, I guess I'm just hungrier than I thought." He apologized with a blush, taking the goblet. He sipped the wine, noticing Seto had not moved except to stop him. "Aren't you going to eat anything?" he asked, concerned.

Seto's eyes widened; his face too confused to respond as if he'd never been asked such a question.

"Here, there's more than enough here for two." He suggested, offering the plate of mushrooms.

"I…" Seto began and then cleared his throat, regaining his composure. "I don't need to eat."

"But…you_ do_ eat, don't you?" Yami asked, bewildered by the answer.

"I can, I just don't need too." Seto replied.

"So, in other words, just because you don't need to do something, you don't do it?" Yami asked a mixture between a question and a statement.

"Exactly," Seto replied, crossing his arms and elegantly hooking one leg over his opposite knee.

"That sounds boring." Yami commented, taking an empty plate and set one of everything on it, then filled the second glass with wine.

Seto opened his mouth to question the action only for Yami to place the plate and goblet in front of him. The dragon stared at the food with confusion, then back at the grinning teenager. "Did you not hear what I just told you?"

"I heard you. So what? You can still eat. Just try it. Bakura's food is delicious, I can't eat all of it and he'll be crushed if we have to throw any of it out."

"I just told you, I don't need to eat." Seto snapped, biting back his annoyance. "If there's no point to things, why do them, hnm?"

"Haven't you ever just done something for the sake of doing it?" Yami interrogated, trying to keep his voice civil. "If not for any other reason than because you can, or to have fun, or to try something new?" Emphasized his point, he picked up the plate and held it closer to the Dragon King, letting him inhale the delicious aroma. "When was the last time you actually _tasted _something? I'll bet one bite and you won't stop." He popped a mushroom in his mouth, smirking.

"Why does it matter?" Seto replied harshly, snatching the plate away and setting it back on the table. "If I don't need something, then what's the point? It's such a waste if something isn't done for a purpose."

"It's not a waste!" Yami sat up. "And it's food, not poison. Besides, you not eating means it will go to waste and your staff would've worked hard for nothing." Yami scolded, gesturing with a swing of his hand to address everyone who wasn't in the room.

Seto snorted. "I adore my staff, thank you very much, but I doubt my lack of appetite bothers them." Seto answered in a dry tone. "They still eat, though I fail to see the reason why, and regardless, they have always found other ways to entertain themselves in the past."

Yami's brow narrowed but he had a mischievous smirk on his face. "But not what they _want _to do. So everyone else is denied their wants solely because you have nothing better to do but wallow in your room?" He leaned back with his hands behind his head. "By God, Seto, no wonder you're so grouchy all the time. You must bore yourself to death."

Seto growled in a low voice, leaning forward in a domineering manner. "You really don't know when to bite your tongue, do you?"

"Well spare me for trying to bring a little sunshine to the doom and gloom you call your life." Yami protested, getting to his feet. "I just don't understand you, Kaiba. Dragon or not, you have an entire castle here, people who adore your company and all you do is lock yourself in this room and break things. Chazz brings you food every night but you never touch it. It's like you purposely go out of your way to make yourself miserable and everyone worries themselves sick because of it."

Seto was on his feet in an instant, anger in his eyes. "I have my reasons for what I do and why I do them and they are neither your concern nor anyone else's." The Dragon King countered harshly and turned leave.

Using his smaller stature to his advantage, Yami cut in front of him, forcing Kaiba to look at him.

"It _is _my concern _and _everyone else's when everyone worries about you." Yami protested passionately. "Every night when Chazz comes back I can see he's afraid for you, like he knows you're giving up. All the time I hear everyone worrying over you and wondering why you've never left your room. The last two weeks, all the boys did was ask me what happened to you, and ever since I arrived here, I've been screaming at myself, wondering what I did to make you so angry with me!" He blurted, but before he could finish his rant, he choked on his words. Seto's expression dropped.

The anger from before had vanished, leaving Seto's face a mask of neutrality. His eyes betrayed no emotion.

Yami froze and bit his lip as an awkward silence passed between them. His eyes hadn't left the King's but he felt himself shaking slightly beneath that impossible-to-read gaze. Finally, Seto shook his head, a line formed on his lips. "If you're referring to the incident in the ballroom, you can relax. I'm not angry at you for that. Our…" he paused to find the right word, "conversation…just brought up a few bad memories and I overreacted and your rudeness did little to soften my temper. We were both at fault and it's done."

Yami wobbled a bit, almost sick with relief, but another question came to mind. He opened his mouth to ask, but he bit it back. The rift between them was already large enough. Did he really want to make another reckless mistake?

"What is it?" The Dragon King ordered, curiosity softening the command.

Apparently, he was too late.

"Nothing," Yami replied, lowering his gaze. "I don't want to argue with you."

"You wanted to ask me something." Seto observed. Yami didn't look up until the tip of the dragon's tail, curled beneath his chin. Seto's arms crossed over his chest, an amused smile crossed his face as he leaned over to meet Yami's eye level. "And I know from past experience what happens when your curiosity isn't satisfied, so ask." He said humorously, but there was forcefulness as well.

Yami had never been afraid of the Dragon King before the previous night, and he wasn't now, but the knot in his gut twisted. His voice felt like it vanished. Those eyes froze him in place, enthralled by the desire to see what was beyond those sapphire depths but the fear of adding another layer to the barrier between them was equally as strong.

As if sensing the teenager's dilemma, Seto's expression softened and he added. "Whatever it is, I promise I won't get upset."

The statement broke the enchantment. Yami closed his eyes, exhaled a breath and asked. "Is that your family?"

Completely blown away, by the statement Seto's face dropped to one of flabbergasted silence "What do you mean?" He asked in a breathy voice, releasing Yami from his grip. His tail curled nervously at his feet.

Yami swallowed, almost too afraid to ask, but knowing it was too late, his eyes wondered to the painting on the other side of the room. The cloth had been removed when he changed it and now it was open and visible beneath its glass case.

"The painting." He asked in a civil voice, his eyes focused on the happy family among the colored oils, unable to meet Seto's eyes. "Are they your family?" he asked with concerned eyes, silently praying he hadn't unintentionally tread into forbidden territory.

Seto didn't answer, but the look of conflict on his face spoke for him. He was torn between anger, anguish and something else. Yami opened his mouth to apologize but the Dragon King raised a hand. "Don't." Seto said quickly, silencing any apology. "Don't apologize, you were only curious."

Seto swooped past him, quickly strolling to the balcony and braced himself on the table where the music box rested. His claws sank into the table as he gave a heavy sigh.

"It's alright if you don't want to say anything." Yami blurted out quickly, his mind racing for some way to repair the rift he knew he'd increased. Seto shot up with a look of bewilderment. The second his eyes met Yami, the teen looked at the ground, his eyes downcast. "I won't pry into your private life."

"It's not that!" Seto said too quickly, hoping to remove the young man's unwarranted guilt.

Yami met is face, confused. "It's nothing like that." Seto answered, firmly. "You've done nothing wrong, it's just—it's just something I've come to accept. I know I can't change it no matter how much I wish I could, so I've just accepted it." He explained, turning his back to Yami, who looked at him with wide eyes.

Realization at their misunderstanding dawned on him, and he shook his head, turning his attention back to the painting then the King. "Are you talking about the curse?" Yami asked, without thinking.

Seto shot up, completely astounded by the statement. "How in the world did you—" he couldn't finish his sentence. He knew the boy knew who he was, but he was forbidden to speak of the details nonetheless.

"I read it in a book." Yami explained with a small smile as bits and pieces started falling into place. "_The Dragon King. _The librarian gave it to me, it's my favorite book." He explained, trying to stifle a laugh at the jaw dropped expression on the King's face. "I didn't believe it at first, but it told about this castle, the prince who lived here, the sorcerer who cursed him for no sin other than wanting to protect his kingdom. I wasn't even sure it was real until I saw you for the first time. I later found out Syrus wrote it."

Seto collapsed in a nearby chair, his face a mask of pure shock. "I don't believe this."

"It wasn't that difficult to figure out, honestly." Yami replied, sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the king. "Everyone does a horrible job of hiding it every time I ask about it. I swear, how dense to they think I am?" He added with a laugh.

Seto could only chuckle. "It isn't that. They _can't _tell you." He explained, noticing the cute look of confusion on Yami's face. "It is part of the…our curse…no one can reveal the details of it or how to break it to an outsider. Syrus is the only exception because he wrote it down. Technically, he didn't speak it." He ran a hand through his chestnut locks, laughing to himself at the irony. "I can't believe that ludicrous idea actually worked."

"Wait," Yami sat on his knees, and asked. "You mean you knew about it?"

"Of course," Seto laughed, standing up. He hooked a hand around Yami's arm, pulling him to his feet with such swiftness their eyes met again. "Who do you think gave him permission to do so? Granted I was joking at the time, I'm glad he took me seriously."

"Yes." Yami nodded, until his focus returned to his earlier question. "But that still doesn't answer my question." He replied, not wanting to lose the situation at hand. "Is that your family? You don't have to tell me about them, I just wasn't sure; they look a lot like you, so I just assumed." He added gently.

Seto's face was unreadable as he let Yami go. His eyes darted back to the painting of the happy family safely locked away behind the glass, carefully taking in every detail: the children's brilliant smiles, the woman's sparkling blue eyes, the man's tall, regal complexion and the warmth and happiness in their eyes the day the portrait was completed.

"Why do you want to know?" Seto asked his voice stoic and his eyes absent of emotion.

Yami's eyes softened. "Because I want to get to know you." He answered honestly. His eyes and voice held true conviction, not a flicker of doubt. "The _real _you. Not the character I read in a book or the façade you put up to keep people away. I want to know the _real _Seto Kaiba, the _real _Dragon King."

Again, Kaiba said nothing. Finally, Seto closed his eyes and shook his head with a small smile at the boy before him. He walked past Yami with a commanding aura; Yami's gaze followed him until he saw Seto had stopped in front of the painting. His claws gently glided over the glass and gently caressed the cheek of one of the boys in the painting.

"My mother…" he began in a calm and pleasant voice. The young man took a seat and folded his hands on his crossed knees, watching as Seto's eyes fell on the raven-haired woman with the same blue eyes as his. "Was the sweetest person you'd ever meet. She had a heart of gold and a temper to match. Do not mistake her though, you would not wish to anger her in fact, those who did often wish they hadn't but she was fair in her discipline; she loved children. All children in the kingdom she considered her own and when she became Queen, she made it her personal duty to help all the orphans in any way she could. She gave them apprenticeships in the palace, refined the schools, and, with my father's help, set up a pension for working families with children. There was not a soul you could find who didn't love her and I doubt there was anything about her you couldn't love. She was, however, a firm ruler, a tough woman and—of course—a very strict parent." He smiled and, for a moment, Yami swore it was the smile of a child longing for his mother.

"My father, as I've told you before, was a just man." The Dragon King continued, turning to the tall man who looked very much like the King. "He loved his family with every fiber of his soul but he was always willing to sacrifice his own time and happiness for the good of his kingdom. The first few years he and my mother did nothing but correct the faults of the previous monarch. He didn't sit around and let officials do the work for him. When something needed to be built or when there was a battle, he was there. He always said a King is only as good as the people who follow him and he never asked his people to do anything he himself wouldn't do." The King paused for a minute to chuckle at the memory.

"That was the first lesson he taught me: respect for my people." The Dragon King smiled at the memory. "I hated it when I was younger; always having to go into town and work. But my father was firm with me, especially in his discipline. Despite his duties, however, he always made time for the four of us. Every day, he'd take my brothers and I horseback riding or he'd educate us on what it meant to be King. He wasn't there as much as I would've liked, but I also understood his reasons."

Yami felt his heart jump as he heard the King speak, never before had he spoken so kindly, so happily. It was like he was living a dream and nothing else mattered. He stood up and strolled over to his side. "They sound wonderful." He smiled, recalling his own parents before they passed away.

"They were." Seto nodded.

"Are those you're brothers?" Yami asked, gesturing a hand to the three younger boys in the image.

Seto didn't answer at first. Instead, he knelt down to meet the eyes of the three younger boys. "I loved my brothers the most, even though Mokuba was my only biological sibling. Noah is my cousin, technically, and Leon was adopted." His eyes wondered from the green-haired young man to the magenta haired one respectively.

"Noah's parents died when he was young, his mother was my father's younger sister. We were the only family he'd ever known and Leon was disowned by his biological family, but it didn't matter to me or my parents; they were my brothers and they meant the world to me. I adored them and they looked up to me, especially Leon, since his own brother had abandoned him in favor of his own pleasures. I promised them I'd do anything to protect them; that I'd teach them to be strong…" his voice was bright with adoration that Yami swore could only rival his own love for Yugi. "They were so young…" His voice faded to a whisper and he then fell silent, his forehead pressing against the glass. "They did nothing wrong…" he mumbled. His claws clenched, scratching the glass.

"Neither did you." Yami added, with a small grin of understanding.

Seto didn't move. Neither did Yami, but he continued, "Is that why you lock yourself away here? To punish yourself?"

The dragon looked up. Fierce sapphires bore straight into concerned rubies. The younger held still, not pressuring him but waiting for an answer.

"Why are you so persistent?" Seto demanded in a sharp, low voice.

"Why do you avoid answering me?" Yami persisted, his glare hardening. "Am I correct?"

"It doesn't matter," Seto turned around and started towards the door, his tail wrapping around Yami's waist gesturing for him to follow.

Yami dug his heels into the ground, wincing as the scaly appendage tightened its constriction. He bit his lip to keep from crying out. Seto tugged on him, but the stubborn teen remained firm, refusing to back town. Finally, Yami slapped the appendage away, and glared at the king. Seto winced, more shocked than angry by strike.

"What is the matter with you?" He demanded harshly, moving to grab the teen, but Yami evaded his talons, refusing to let time repeat.

"Nothing." Yami replied. "Why is it so hard to answer me?"

A snarl stifled in Seto's throat. "Why does it matter?" He growled at the teen's boldness, his tail whipping at his side, filling the room with loud smacks every time it struck something. "Go back to your room, Yami." The Dragon King ordered, pointing to the door. "You're done here."

Yami blanched at the remark, unleashing all his annoyance now, and there was no turning back "I am not leaving until you answer me!"

Seto saw red. Before either of them could react he roughly grabbed his upper arm and pinned him against the glass, but not hard enough to hurt him, only immobilize him. "You are the most stubborn person I have ever met!"

"Funny, I was just about to say the same thing about you," Yami retorted wrenching on his arm. "Now let go of me, this instant!" He wrenched again, but Seto harshly tugged him closer, making him wince at the force. Blazing icy eyes glared into freezing fire.

"You know nothing about me!" The dragon snapped, shaking the teen slightly.

"That's exactly my point!" Yami argued, clawing at the man's talons with his free hand, in a weak attempt to earn release from the his captor's grip.

Seto growled, hurt by the statement and protested fiercely "I just told—"

"But you won't answer me!" Yami cut him off, digging his heels into the ground. Anger loosening his tongue "you only tell me about everyone else, but you never say anything about yourself! And when I ask you why you stay here, you change the subject or avoid it? Why! You did _nothing _wrong! So why are you punishing yourself for a crime you didn't commit?"

"You think I don't know that!" Seto exploded, with such force that Yami went silent. Slightly afraid of the mad anger marring the King's face, Yami stopped his resistance, paralyzed. He put up no resistance as the King forcefully pulled him closer until they were eye-level.

"I _know_ I did nothing wrong! I _know _there was nothing I could've done! Does that honestly make it better? Is it better knowing I could do nothing but watch as my entire family vanished right before my eyes and I could do nothing to save them? That I could do nothing to stop the monster who stole them from me from turning me into this repulsive creature? Yes, I'm _well _aware of that!"

A disturbing silence fell between them, marred only by the King's heavy breathing.

Slowly, regaining his composure, Yami's gaze softened, and his voice civilized. "So you _are _punishing yourself." Yami concluded in an expressionless voice.

He'd braced himself for s blow, expecting the king to strike him, or yell at him once more—but he did neither. Instead he responded in the last way Yami expected him to—he laughed! Low pearls rolled off his lips like small dark chuckled, before finally erupting into a triumphant burst of hysterics.

"You think I blame myself for that?" Seto mocked, still laughing even as the teen blanched from shock. "I'd have to be a damned fool to even think that? Why should I when I know the real culprit?"

"Then why-" Yami asked subconsciously, lowly, but the Dragon King cut him off by releasing him and with a shove, more powerful then he intended, threw the teen back into an armchair he'd backed himself against. Yami hissed at the treatment, but his eyes never left the King's.

Seto strolled across the table, bracing himself against an opposite chair, his head hung low as he continued to laugh. "You really want to know?" The laughter has turned low with sadness.

Regaining himself, Yami nodded, suddenly alert.

Seto chuckled darkly. "So persistent, fine I'll tell you…" his voice drifted off, no longer the voice of a mad man, but one of an anguished soul who'd lost everything. "I stay here because it's easier this way. It's safer, keeping everyone at arm's length. They can't abandon you because they can't stand the sight of you. They can't shun you because they're afraid of you. They can't insult you or turn you away despite all you've done for them because you're a monster. That's why. I've done nothing wrong, but still the world rejects and repulses me. I don't need them reminding me what I already know. I've long accepted I'm a monster. I understand that, _perfectly._" Bitter sarcasm drenched his retort with venom. Each anguished word, poisoned with a frightening familiarity, all while Yami absorbed each brutal word.

"I just don't like being reminded what I already know." Seto concluded. "It's just safer this way."

"You fool!" Yami protested in a tone so sharp, Seto shot up, stunned by the completely unexpected reaction. Yami's eyes were locked on the floor, his head tilted so his long bangs shadowed his eyes and his teeth gritted in anger. His hands balled into fists at his sides and his lithe frame shook violently with rage. "You're a fool, Seto Kaiba. A damn bloody fool!" He exploded, uncontrollable anger and disgust blazed the crimson depths a vicious ruby.

Seto saw red. "How dare you!" He erupted, rage and betrayal in his voice. Fool he was for accepting sympathy.

"Yes I dare!" Yami countered, taking a large step forward until he was face to face with the king. "How dare _you _just…just give up!" He paused, voice shaking with anger as he tried to find the right words. "You were betrayed—shunned and abandoned—I don't blame you for that! But how dare you give in to those ludicrous accusations! So what? Just because a bunch of heartless traitors shun you and tell you you're a monster that automatically makes it true? Hah! You're Seto Kaiba! You're the Dragon King! When do you ever listen to anyone but yourself!"

Red blinded Seto, as his talons ceased the teen by his shoulders and lifted him off the ground, growling with the rage and force of an angry dragon! "You know nothing! You don't know anything that I've been through! You have no idea what it's to be shunned and hated for nothing! You have no idea!

Yami flinched at the words—not by the harshness in the man's accusation but by its inaccuracy. Emotions boiled in side of him: anger, anguish, hurt consuming him until finally, it erupted.

He shoved the man off him, so hard, Seto was taken aback by the force and stumbled backwards. His legs hit those of the arm chair and he fell back, but before he could forget, Yami braced his hands on either arm, pinning the man beneath him. Stunned by the sudden action, Seto froze, paralyzed by the ferocity and gravity in the intense gaze.

"You think I don't know what it's like to be hated? To be shunned and mocked through no fault of my own? You think I don't feel something when I see the way people look at me, and whisper about me as I walk by? You don't think I know they think I'm a freak because I don't conform to what they expect of me! So what? Just because everyone, and I do mean _everyone _agrees I'm some brazen youth who's only purpose in life should be to marry some pompous aristocrat, live in gilded cage and raise spoiled children until I croak means I should accept it and do it?" His shaking grew work as he spoke. Passion and rage consumed him, and he narrowed his eyes, biting back the tears threatening to fall. "At least I don't give up! At least I don't just give up and accept what everyone thinks! Because they're wrong! And I know they are! Even if they all agree, even if everyone and everything thinks you're something doesn't mean you are, right? Even if they drill it into your skull, even if the convince _you _you're a monster or a freak…That doesn't mean it's true!" He finished screaming, his entire body shook violently.

Without bothering to wait for a reaction from the stunned King, Yami pulled back and turned to leave, knowing he couldn't keep himself in control any longer. He didn't get far. In a flash, Seto blocked the man's path with his wings, carefully placing a talon on his shoulder and gently turned him to face him, but Yami refused to meet his gaze.

"Yami, wait!" Seto called softly.

When the teen looked up, Seto's eyes widened: tears streaked the teen's face, like transparent rivers, barely visible. Droplets accumulated on Yami's chin until they finally dropped to the floor or dampened Seto's claws.

"What!" The teenager snapped, harshly, furiously rubbing away the signs of his weakness.

_He's crying? _Seto chocked. Even with tears falling from Yami's eyes, fire blazed in them. Those same indomitable eyes he adored at first sight blazed with so many emotions at once: anger, anguish, sympathy, disgust, hurt; it was hard to tell who they were for or what emotions were directed at whom.

Frozen at the sight before him, Seto moved a claws hand to catch the tears, unsure how to react. _Is he…is he's crying for me…for _me. The sentence seemed too surreal to be true, but the proof was right in front of him in each word, each tear…

The king gently brushed his chest, wondering why his heart suddenly felt like it sprang free, and why hit hurt when he saw the tears, he tried so hard to force back fall.

"Yami…I'm sorry. I didn't mean…" He chocked, sincerely.

Yami froze at the sudden apology, barely feeling the leathery wings wrap around him He found Seto staring at him, guilt and remorse glazed his features; his eyes softened when they met his gently demanding the truth "Are you speaking about me or yourself?"

He moved his arm to wipe away his tears before responding. "Both." Yami replied, unable to hold back any longer. Before he could move, two arms wrapped around him and pulled him into a tight, warm embrace. Seto gently brushed away the remains of his tears, careful not to prick the delicate skin with his claws. Unable to resist, he carefully leaned down and gently kissed the remaining tears away.

Yami froze when the king pulled back, his face scarlet. His voice died in his throat, unsure of how to respond to the sudden gesture, even as his finger subconsciously brushed the tender area the kiss left behind.

Seto smiled at the reaction, and gently stroked the kindred spirit's soft tresses hoping to calm him, before gently whispering. "No one has ever cried for my sake."

He embraced the boy tighter, enjoying the warmth Yami's body radiated. Relishing in the comfort, Yami leaned his forehead against Seto's chest, the soft material of Seto's shirt brushed against his cheek, cushioned by the lean muscles beneath. Seto wrapped his arms and tail around his waist, his wings wrapping them in a cocoon of bliss.

Yami finally collapsed, emotionally exhausted, his body felt heavy with bliss. The Dragon King followed his example, taking the teenager with him, fell back into his chair. His body felt as though an enormous burden had been lifted from his being and the loss of such a weight had left him immobile with peace.

"You really are a desert rose." Seto whispered, gently running his claws through the silky, multicolored tresses, not caring whether or not Yami heard him. Said teenager smiled as he faded in and out of consciousness and exhaustion started to take its toll on him.

Seto closed his own eyes, letting his hand fall limply at his side.

* * *

When he opened his eyes again, Seto couldn't recall where he was. He closed his eyes and shook his head for a moment, gently brushing his claw through his bangs. He looked down, feeling a heavy weight on his chest. He almost jumped up in surprise when he found his house guest curled against his chest like a cat. Once the memories returned, however, he calmed himself down and smiled.

He had to admit, Yami looked adorable while he slept. So peaceful and innocent, without a care in the world—the complete opposite of the fiery, strong-willed spirit he was when he awoke.

_I'll let him sleep a bit longer_. Seto decided. He carefully gathered the teen in his arms and carried him to his bed. He brushed aside the veils with his tail and gently placed the boy on his side, pulling the comforter over him.

His eyes fell back on the half-eaten tray of food on the table. He tested it with his finger: it was cold but not enough to be inedible. He paused for a bit when he heard a stir behind him.

"Seto?" Yami called half-consciously. Yami rolled on to his stomach and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, blearily looking for the other man. He found him by the table gathering the food and goblets from before.

"Just cleaning up," Seto said over his shoulder. He watched as Yami rolled over and sat up on the bed, kicking off his boots and letting his jacket slip from his shoulders. Perhaps letting him sleep in his clothes wasn't such a good idea.

He left the plates on the table and strolled over to the wardrobe, searching for something light. His eyes darted to something bright on the table. Closer inspection revealed the garment was a folded pile of Egyptian gold silk glowing like a hot beacon among the cool color scheme. He snatched up the garment and let the slippery material fall open, revealing an angel-sleeved robe that fell to the knees. The size indicated it was much too small for him but would fit Yami perfectly. His sharp eyes caught a white note in the pocket. He pulled it out and his eyes skinned it over, instantly recognizing Malik's handwriting.

_For Yami…since he'll probably need it._

His jaw clenched and his face reddened as he crumbled the note in his hand, reminding himself the tailor was too valuable to kill. He could just _hear _the implication; Marik was rubbing off on his husband, there was no other explanation.

_What the hell did that tailor think we'd be doing? _Seto purposely chose not to answer that question.

He took a breath and composed himself before placing the garment over his arm and exiting the wardrobe. Having grown used to his dragon scales, sleeping in his clothes no longer bothered him.

When he returned, he paused for a moment. His eyes drank in the delicious site of his house guest stripped to only his pants. Seto smirked, licking his fangs at the delicious creamy-caramel skin, briefly wondering if it tasted as sweet as it looked.

Deciding to take advantage of the situation before the teen returned to full waking, he slowly strolled over to him, his tail grabbing the blanket as Yami climbed back into the bed. The boy growled, half exhausted, half annoyed and yanked the comforter. The Dragon King won the small war, the younger being too tired to argue.

When he noticed Yami's eyes starting to brighten, he waited until the teen turned to glare at him. When Yami did so, he held out the robe to him, smiling. "For you."

Yami blinked in confusion as the slippery material fell into his hands. Chuckling slightly at the boy's confusion, Seto answered the unasked question. "It isn't very comfortable sleeping in your clothes."

Realization caused Yami's eyes to bulge and he looked at Seto, then robe, then down at himself. Yami instinctively pulled the robe to his chest, his face scarlet as he glared at the smirking king. "Kaiba!" He howled, more from mortification than anger.

"Relax, you can change in the bathroom." Seto smiled, gesturing to the door next to the wardrobe. With as much dignity as the teen could muster, Yami stood up, still clutching the robe, and disappeared into the bathroom. He released a sigh of relief seeing that it was clean.

Chuckling, Seto returned to his earlier work, glaring down at the chicken bones, empty plates, and goblet. The wine bottle had been resealed, but the second goblet was still half-full and small amounts of appetizers littered the smaller plates.

"It would be a waste," he agreed, gathering all the food onto one large plate and stacking the dirty ones.

He grabbed the half-full goblet, debating its fate. Dumping it would be a waste, but he couldn't return it to the bottle either. His eyes narrowed at the tempting black liquid.

When was the last time he had wine? A decade ago? His 21st birthday? He couldn't recall. Hadn't Yami said something about seizing the moment?

"Oh what the hell?" He finally decided, raising the goblet to his lips. A mixture of richness and a sweet woody tang ignited his senses. His eyes flew open. The small sip turned into a large gulp, then another, then another, determined to capture the burning the liquid brought him. He gorged himself until every drop was gone from the goblet then wrenched it away to breathe. "God, I'd forgotten how good this stuff is." He said loudly, as if buzzed by the minimal alcohol.

He wiped his mouth on his shirt and turned to the appetizers. He scooped up a thick biscuit and took a bite. It was cold and the butter had hardened, but the combination of the soft dough and creamy butter tasted divine. He downed the other half in one gulp, unable to resist the pleasure it brought to his taste buds.

He grabbed another appetizer, this time, a piece of bread with the garlic and herb spread and bit down: the bread tasted harder than the biscuit but the pasty spread had softened it, the sharpness of herbs leaving a bittersweet desire for more. He swallowed the delicious treat before eating another one, deciding to savor the taste before it was gone.

Potatoes dripping with garlic butter went down thick and creamy. Next was the stuffed mushroom. Juice trickled down his chin and the rich, stuffing crunched in his mouth, savoring each bite until he could stand it no longer and swallowed the rest.

"Delicious…" he licked his lips and fingers, determined to capture the remains of the taste before opening the wine again and downing the rest of the bottle. The taste of berry juice flushed his senses while the sharp brisk of alcohol burned his throat. He gulped the juice, not even bothering to stop as his lungs screamed for air and his throat burned. He pulled the bottle from his lips and gasped as the final drop went down.

"God damn…" He announced his pleasure louder then intended, buzzed from the ecstasy of the experience. He wobbly placed the empty bottle on the tray and carefully got to his feet, the buzz of drunkenness beginning to slip away as his body cleared his system of the alcohol.

"I told you so." The Dragon King almost dropped the bottle. His heart plunged into his stomach as he whirled around—just in time to catch the wide grin on Yami's face as he leaned in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes were brilliant with triumph and his grin nearly split his face—alerting the King he'd seen the entire scene.

Ignoring the color dusting his face and the large bruise to his ego, Seto got to his feet and glared at the teen.

Yami said nothing, removing himself from the door and walking back to the bed, the robe he was wearing perfectly molding his lithe form, leaving nothing to the imagination, but Seto barely noticed. His blush worsening and his glare hardening as Yami's know-it-all gleam brightened, his grin speaking more than a thousand voices.

Yami sat on the bed and smiled at him, daring him to counter him.

"Oh bite your tongue and go to bed!" Seto finally snapped, plopping down on an armchair.

Yami smiled and shook his head. "Good night."

* * *

Its finall finished- (passes out and dies from happiness and over exhaustion with swirly eyes, holding a sign) THANK YOU CHICARY ANDF TAVI! I LOVE YOU BOTH!


	15. Chapter 14: The Feel of Flying

DRAGON ROSE HAS BEEN POSTED! HA-LAY)LO_YA! Yes this is the chapter that took me an entire day to type, another to rewrite/edit, adnother day for my awesome beta Chi (you have no idea how much I love and appreicate you girl) to edit and two months for me to finally get up!

Sorry this took so long-for those of you who've seen my page the last three weeks were spent doing nothing but working on my short story and history paper-thank god I got a week off for thanksgiving or this would've never been updated.

Anyway since its been a while I decided to reward you guys with a nice long chap-hope its worth the wait.

**Disclaimer: **Yugioh, yugioh GX and all its characters belong to Takahashi and I will not disrespect him by claiming them as my own. Beauty and the Beast is a fairy tale written by a french artist and the adaption that inspired this fic belong to Disney. I only own the plot, Yami's outfits and any poetry and writing that may appear in this story.

**Dedications: **To one of my oldest FF and DA friends Mitzumi for ALWAYS destracting me with her awesome fics and pictures on DA and forcing me to get my ass in gear and work on this and Chi for getting this back to me in one day and putting up with my long chaps and bad grammar despite her busy scedule. You have no idea how much i appreaciate you Chi! (hugs!)

As always read, review, comment, critique, ask questions and go nuts and if you hated go ahead and say it just tell me WHY! I can't fix anything without specifics! and as always enjoy!

* * *

Chapter Fourteen: The Feel of Flying

_Where am I?_ Yami wondered. Warmth and softness surrounded him and a light, slippery softness brushed against his skin. His body felt weightless against the heavy covering. _Not yet_. He struggled to wake, wanting to luxuriate in the feeling a little longer.

When he finally awoke, he found himself gazing into a cloudy blue canopy. Heavy blankets covered his lithe frame, wrapping him in a thick cocoon. He shook his head, fearing he must've died in his sleep and gone to paradise.

He blinked and found himself surrounded by matching curtains. The opened side revealed a semi-tarnished blue room he recognized as Seto's. He kicked the blankets off and stretched his arms and back like a cat. The silky material he wore felt wonderful against his heated skin until his hand brushed something cold and rough behind him.

He blushed in realization and slowly looked behind him, hoping he was wrong. He found Seto, shirtless and his side still bandaged, only a few inches from him, curled beneath the thick comforters like a cat. Yami's face went straight to crimson. Lord, did he hate being right all the damn time.

He had spent the entire night with Seto. In his room. In the same bed. And both of them barely wearing anything. His mind spiraled with possibilities and none of them pleasant. What the hell had happened the previous night? He remembered being emotional and a tad tired, but nothing strong enough to…start anything. His face darkened with horror and he carefully slipped free from the bed and tried to think. He didn't feel any pain and he clearly remembered Seto giving him the robe to change into—and telling him to go to bed before crawling to the other side. If he recalled correctly, he was embarrassed about something. Yami shook his head.

"No, I'm being ridiculous. I'd remember something like that, I'm sure of it," he convinced himself and frantically searched for his clothes. He'd never been ashamed of his body, often donning formfitting clothes that exposed his figure. Now, though, it left him in an awkward position. In such a loose, thin, garment, he felt exposed.

"Damn it, where are my clothes!" He growled impatiently.

"They're in the bathroom where you left them." Yami jumped out of his skin.

He glared through a cerise blush at the smirking Dragon King sprawled over the side of the bed with his head in his hand. "And if it'll ease your mind, the only thing we did in this room was talk and sleep. It was late and you fell asleep so I let you stay here, though I'm flattered you'd consider the idea."

Yami's face went so red it had to be hazardous to his health. "How long have you been up?" Yami demanded, trying in vain to beat down the color in his face.

Seto shrugged, "Since you started moving," Seto teased, "Seriously, I'm not that light a sleeper; you make a lot of noise."

Yami snorted. "You could've said something before I made a total fool of myself." He stood up and started towards the bathroom where, as promised, he found his clothes neatly folded on the counter.

"I could've," Seto shrugged. "But what fun would that be—ow!" He dodged a large cushion thrown his way. It hit the wall so hard, a loud thump echoed throughout the room.

"What was that for?" Seto demanded, more embarrassed than angry.

"Don't you know it's very impolite to insult your guest, Seto Kaiba?" Yami smirked before slamming the door shut.

He emerged a few moments later fully dressed and carrying a large wrap of bandages, just in time to catch Seto throwing on a shiny onyx trench coat and button it down to the knees.

"You do realize you'll just be taking that off in a few minutes, right?" Yami leaned against the door, biting back a chuckle when Seto whirled around.

"And why is that?" The Dragon King questioned.

"Because, I have to change your bandages again, and I can't do that if the wound is covered up," Yami explained, crossing his arms with a small smirk.

Seto snorted; Yami rolled his eyes. "It'll only take a few minutes. Do you want it to get infected?"

Deciding to humor him, Seto undid the coat and sat on the bed. "Make it quick, I don't want to miss breakfast."

"That makes two of us," Yami nodded and quickly unwrapped the sticky clothes. Specks of dried blood formed a blotched shape where the wound was covered. Carefully, Yami disposed of them in a nearby waste basket and began applying the fresh ones. The wound had closed up by now, but Yami refused to take any chances.

"There, all done." Yami gazed at his handiwork proudly. "I'd give it another day or two just to make sure it's completely healed though."

"I'll remember that," Seto nodded and redid the buttons. He stood up and offered the teen a hand. "Shall we?" He sniffed the air and licked his lips. "Sounds like Bakura is going all out," he chuckled. "And that can only mean one of two things.

"What's that?" Yami asked, accepting the gesture and letting Seto guide him downstairs.

Seto smirked. "Either he's pissed at me for ignoring his cooking and trying to get me to come downstairs or the entire house is under distress for some reason and he's hoping to ease the tension.

Yami bit back a snort. "I think it's both… I _have _been in your room the last two days." He burst out laughing.

Seto said nothing.

* * *

The aroma of breakfast flooded the kitchen. The air was thick with the rich fragrance of freshly cut fruits, the heavy stench of bacon grease, the left-over butter from eggs and the spicy perfume of freshly cut breads and herbs. Servants carried Bakura and Ryou's latest masterpieces to the dining room and arranged them carefully upon the table, then picked their share and either left or plopped around the table waiting for their Master and guest to arrive.

A plump Kuriboh sighed sadly in Syrus' transparent lap. Said teen sat cross-legged on the edge of the table next to a beautiful fruit platter. To his left, Chazz plopped in a chair with his head buried in his arms.

"Couldn't sleep either?" Syrus asked, stroking Jaden's back, he slouched over Syrus' knee like a seasick sailor.

"Not a wink," Chazz mumbled without raising his head. "Ryou, are you sure you didn't see Yami at all yesterday?"

Ryou gripped the biscuit he'd been eating so tight that it crumbled in his hand. "I checked his room three times yesterday. That damn dragon's learning quickly." He mumbled angrily.

"Well," Bakura, who'd been standing silently against the door until now, dragged the word in a tone that screamed 'I-know-something-you-don't". "Kaiba _did _ask me to prepare dinner for two yesterday when he came downstairs…"

Ryou shot up and bolted towards his smirking husband. "When was this and why wasn't I told about it?" Ryou demanded.

Bakura smiled, not at all afraid of the threat. "Last night, after dark. You were asleep and he didn't say who it was for. I asked, but he didn't answer. I was just stunned he actually came downstairs for once…" Bakura's claws sank into the door. "Even though he probably didn't eat anything and half of it probably went to waste, including an entire bottle of my best elderberry whine…" He grumbled angrily under his breath.

"No, I brought that downstairs this morning," Ryou corrected. "Everything was picked clean."

Bakura looked at his husband like he'd grown an extra head. "Pardon?"

"I stopped by Seto's room this morning to pick up the dishes. He was still asleep, but everything was empty, even the wine bottle."

Bakura sported an impossibly stunned expression. "That's not possible. There was enough food there for two people. There's no way Yami ate it all."

"Unless Seto had some?" Syrus suggested, shrinking when all eyes, even Chazz's, fell on him.

"Yeah right," Chazz snorted. "I've been trying that for the last decade." He said sadly, "but I swear, I don't care if Yami did run away if he hurts him I'll-"

"Mmm, what smells so good?" Everyone in the room jumped when the oak doors swung open.

"YAMI!" Before Yami could blink, a plump Kuriboh plowed into his chest, hugging him like a cat and two teenaged spirits bombarded him. Syrus hugged him tightly. Chazz claimed his side. Overcome and completely caught off guard by the impact, Yami whirled backwards but Seto caught his shoulders.

"I take it you guys missed me." Yami smiled.

"Of course!" Syrus replied. "We were worried about you."

"Yeah, we haven't seen you in two days!" Chazz added.

"Yeah, what did you do?" Jaden asked, concerned.

"I was cleaning Seto's room. Didn't Jesse tell you?" Yami asked, feeling guilty for making them worry.

The three shook their heads.

"He's probably been taking care of Phantom for today," Seto suggested, just now noticing the stunned faces of his cook and chef.

"What?" He asked, smirking. "You act as if this is the first time I've come down stairs?"

Ryou looked ready to hit the man. Bakura burst out laughing. "Well it's only been what? Fifty or sixty years?"

Kaiba snorted at the man's sarcasm.

"Kaiba, I swear, sometimes I could just slap you!" Ryou snapped, grabbing his hair. "Do you have any idea what your little stunts do to this place? Everyone's been worried sick for two days straight!"

"You act as if I've murdered someone!" Seto snapped back, half alarmed by the white-haired cook's reaction.

"That theory did come up," Ryou countered.

Yami rolled his eyes. Still holding Jaden, he took a seat at the table, leaving Seto and Ryou to argue to their heart's content. The boys sat around him and immediately started placing food on his plate.

"So, how was my food?" Bakura pulled out a chair and propped himself in it, his wings curled around his neck like a cape.

"Delicious as always," Yami replied, setting Jaden down. The Kurbioh found an apple and devoured it. "Seto and I both loved it"

Chazz almost choked. "Wait, you mean you got him to eat something?" He gaped like a frog before throwing an aggravated fit. "That jerk, I've been trying to get him to eat something for ten years!"

Yami burst out laughing. "Oh he'll probably deny it if you ask him, but I guess he didn't want to waste anything."

Bakura chuckled and looked over Yami's shoulder. His feisty husband continued to scold his obviously annoyed master. Kaiba stood commandingly. His arms crossed over his chest and his eyes closed in a failed attempt to block out Ryou's rants. All the while, Yami devoured his breakfast and the boys bombarded him with questions on what happened.

Bakura counted down the seconds until the chaos erupted.

"You might want to stay away from your room than - " Syrus mumbled, swallowing a mouthful of cherries.

"Why's that?" Yami asked, vaguely noticing Bakura's attention still locked on Ryou and Seto.

"Ryou." Seto bit through snarled, gritted teeth. "Will. You. Shut—!"

The door suddenly flung open and slammed into Seto's back. Completely caught off guard by the unexpected blow from behind, Seto flew and crashed to the ground in a heap. Ryou screamed from shock and fell backwards.

Yami and Bakura rose from their seats. Syrus and Chazz transformed to their spiritual forms in fear and followed Jaden's example, hiding inside Yami's jacket. Joey, Mai, Serenity and Tea burst into the dining room, rushing to greet Yami and completely oblivious to their fallen master. The girls cheered and clapped their hands with glee. Yami shivered at the smiles forming on their faces like children who couldn't wait to get their grubby hands on a new toy and play with it until it broke—and he was the toy.

Joey howled at him, "Where the hell have you been?"

"We've been looking everywhere for you!" Mai hugged him so tightly he couldn't breathe, feeling the boys tunnel deeper into his coat.

"I can't believe you ran away and disappeared like that!" Tea scolded, yanking him away from Mai by the arm, "Do you have any idea how behind we are thanks to you?"

"Yes," Serenity clapped gleefully. "Malik has a whole bunch of new outfits for you to try on!"

"Uh, guys," Yami squeaked and tried to get away from the clawing pack of harpies, but the table blocked his only escape.

"Hey, you crazy broads, you're going to give him a heart attack!" Bakura slammed his hand on the table, but the women ignored him.

"Hold it, Bakura you knew where he was and you said nothing?" Joey growled angrily.

"Everyone, calm down," Ryou tried in vain to control the chaos.

Voices echoed like huge gongs and bounced off the walls. Servants and staff swarmed around the terrified Yami like a swarm of insects. Their exasperating buzzing and constant bickers roared in Seto's ears like the buzz of a fly in a silent room. Seto struggled to his feet, his entire body shaking with rage. The cacophony of infuriating voices and questions made his blood boil until finally—

"ENOUGH!" The Dragon King thundered with a powerful, terrifying roar of an angry dragon. The room quieted in an instant: every voice silent, every face now one of terror. Rage radiated from Seto's figure. His wings extended angrily to their full length. His claws flexed before balling into fists at his side. His jaw twisted, his fangs clenched in a snarl and his eyes blazed dangerously.

"No one. Speak. A word, unless I tell you to." Seto ordered in a dangerously low voice, puncturing each phrase. "Is that. In any way, unclear?"

Although the question was rhetorical, everyone shook their heads.

"You three." He pointed to the girls. The three of them stood straight. "Unless you need something specific, you are to place your requests through Malik, understood?"

They nodded.

"Mutt." Joey stepped forward, biting back his annoyance at the degrading nickname. "Your job is to keep everything under control in this place. Next time you want to know something, ask_ me_ and avoid all this chaos!" Joey said nothing but nodded.

"You," he pointed to Ryou, who stiffened until Bakura pulled him into his lap. "Rest assured, Master, I'll keep him out of trouble." Bakura's promise masked his sarcasm with chivalry. Kaiba choose to ignore him and turned to his next victim.

"You four!" He stormed towards Yami. Said teen stood rigid with an obvious 'what did I do?' expression. Jaden shivered under Yami's jacket. Syrus and Chazz poked their heads free.

When Seto stopped, he met Yami's bewildered gaze and pointed to the table behind him. "Sit down and finish your breakfast," he ordered, grabbing an apple and devouring half of it in one bite. He finished the other half and tossed it with the rest of the trash while dumping a fat plum, a thick green pear, a handful of strawberries and a shiny orange on a plate and plopped in his favorite chair at the head of the table. "It's far too early in the morning for this much racket!" He half growled, half mumbled, popping a strawberry in his mouth.

The overly sweet juice filled his mouth with sugary ambrosia. Once he finished one, he repeated the process with the rest then the cherries. They went down sharper like a cocktail but saccharine nonetheless.

Yami shrugged and returned to his meal. "You can come out now," he told the boys sweetly. One by one they fell out of the jacket and onto the table.

No one else had moved, not even Bakura. Confused, Yami followed their jaw-dropped expressions but all he found was Seto halfway through a plum, lavender juice and flesh dripping down his chin.

Seto swallowed and raised an eyebrow at his staff. "I believe you all have work to do?"

"Right," Joey turned on his heel and left.

"Call us when you're done," Bakura nodded, lifting a reluctant Ryou into his arms bridal style and disappeared back into the kitchen.

"Uh, Kaiba," Mai interrupted.

Seto opened one annoyed eye. "Yes?"

"We can't make any alterations without Yami so-"

"The only thing he'll need today is a riding outfit and a warm winter coat," Seto answered before Yami could. Seto grinned at Yami's bewildered expression. "Unless you've changed your mind about going riding today?"

"Of course not!" Yami jumped exuberantly. He'd completely forgotten about that.

"Can we come too, Yami?" Jaden asked, giddily.

"Of course you all can," Yami nodded, then turned to Seto. "Would you like to join us? It'll be fun?"

Seto looked taken aback for a moment, then smiled gently. "I have a few things to take care of but I'll join you later. Once you're done with breakfast you can-"

Before Seto could finish his sentence, Yami stuffed the biscuit in his mouth and pushed himself free from his seat. "I'm done." He turned and bolted from the room.

"Wait for us!" Jaden, Syrus and Chazz transformed into their spectral forms and raced after him.

Seto shook his head with a small smile and went back to devouring the fruit. "Damn, when was the last time I had a real breakfast?" He laughed to himself.

* * *

"Are you sure this is where the stables are, Jaden?" Yami asked for the third time.

"I'm positive," Jaden announced, pulling his red coat closed.

"You said that an hour ago!" Chazz snapped. Since their spectral forms weren't immune to the cold, Chazz now wore a thick black furred coat with matching earmuffs. Syrus wore a similar outfit, only his coat was silver and he wore a red scarf and mittens.

The cold wind bit mercilessly at Yami's exposed neck and cheek. Wet grass and mud clopped loudly beneath his fur-lined paddock boots. After a small war with the girls, Malik got Yami into a new pair of thick leather riding breeches and a long-sleeved, form-fitting turtleneck. Over the outfit he wore a long, black fur coat that covered his lithe frame down to his thighs. Soft fur tickled his skin and snuggly hugged the warmth to his body while the leather exterior blocked any wind that dared try and penetrate it. Yami spun around a couple times admiring the new coat from all angles and wondering what Seto would think if he saw him in it.

"There it is! See, I told you I knew where it was!" Jaden boasted, proudly pointing to a huge brick barn lined by black iron gates.

"You said that an hour ago!" Chazz corrected.

Yami burst ahead, ignoring the alarmed cries of his friends. Desire and excitement of seeing his oldest friend clouded Yami's rationality. A black shape stuck out among the white background like a red splotch on a carpet. When the shape took a more equine shape, his pace increased. "Phantom!" Yami whistled, then called.

The black shape perked up and turned to the source of its name. When its dark eyes caught sight of the figure ahead, it whinnied loudly and jumped up on its hind legs.

"Wow! "Jesse reeled back, fearful of the horse's unexpected change in demeanor. "Easy there, boy," he tried to calm the horse down, but it broke into a run. With an elegant leap, he sailed through the air and landed gracefully on the other side. Yami stopped in his tracks. The horse circled him before he slowed to a stop.

"Phantom!" Yami hugged the stallion around its thick neck. The horse neighed loudly and rubbed its snout in Yami's tri-colored tresses.

"Oh, I missed you." Yami rubbed his forehead against Phantom's. "I'm so sorry, boy." He stroked the horse's nose apologetically. "I didn't know you were here this whole time."

The horse snorted into his hair and rubbed against him. He sniffed Yami's jacket and started digging through it. Yami laughed at the treatment and pulled a juicy golden apple from his pocket. "Swiped this for ya." He grinned. Phantom's dark eyes lit up and he carefully snatched the apple from his master's hand and devoured the tasty treat. When he was finished, he licked Yami's cheek, making him laugh.

"Yami! Phantom!" Yami looked over his shoulder. Jesse struggled over the fence and fell over it. "I'm sorry; I didn't know you were comin'."

"It's okay, Jesse," Yami assured him, stroking Phantom's mane and gesturing him back towards the barn. The horse followed. "I should've mentioned, Phantom can be a hell of an escape artist, but he always manages to find his way back to me."

"Hey!" Jaden, Syrus and Chazz finally caught up to them. All three of them panted heavily like they'd run a marathon.

"Damn, you're fast Yami," Chazz choked out.

"Sorry," Yami rubbed the back of his head nervously then turned to Phantom, who looked at him confused. "Phantom, this is Jaden, Syrus and Chazz. They've been helping me out since I got here. You've already met Jesse."

The horse gently strolled up to them. It stopped in front of Syrus, who couldn't help but be intimidated by the domineering creature. Jaden squeezed his hand reassuringly. "It's okay, Sy," he smiled warmly.

Syrus froze beneath the horse's dark eyes, waiting to be inspected. The horse sniffed his hair a few times, then licked his cheek and nuzzled his side. "Awe, aren't you sweet." Syrus thanked him.

"Phantom's an amazing judge of character," Yami explained, patting the horse's thick hide. "Is there a saddle in the barn?" He asked Jesse.

"Yeah," Jesse nodded, then turned to the pasture. "If you're gonna ride him, I suggest doin it on the hill by the back," he pointed to a large grassy area atop a small hill. "The ground's not as wet up there so it'll be better for his hooves."

Yami nodded and raced towards the barn.

"Wait, Yami, look out for-" Jesse tried to warn him but Yami was too excited to listen. He jumped the fence and raced inside, only to stop in his tracks when he found the entrance blocked by the strangest creature he'd ever seen.

"What the hell is that?" Yami blinked, half whispering, noticing the creature was asleep. It looked like a gigantic lizard. It was hairless, with a long snout and arrow-shaped head connected to its neck-less body. Its massive, muscular, whip-like tail all connected to one limb. Its dark green skin was thick and cracked and jagged like a mountain range and chaotically positioned teeth protruded over its jaw.

"Is that a…crocodile?" Yami breathed stunned by her (something told him she was a girl). He'd only ever seen them in books, so what the hell was one doing this far north? Before he got his answer, the creature revealed two large jeweled eyes like too shinny orbs glowing a hypnotic yellow.

"My lady," he said hesitantly. He didn't need to a book to know she could easily rip him to shreds if she wished. "I'm sorry I disturbed you, but I need to get inside." He took a small step to the left, but the crocodile moved in front of his path and plopped down. She didn't take her wide eyes off him.

"My lady, I'm sorry if I'm being rude, but Seto said I could go riding today and I'd like to go while the sun is still out," Yami explained. The crocodile shifted her position as if studying him. Yami stood still, waiting for her to make a move, unsure if he should run or stay put. The crocodile rolled over and titled her head, studying him.

"My lady?" Yami asked.

"Yami!" Jesse screamed. "Don't go in there, Shirley doesn't like strangers!" he warned.

"What?" Yami yelled back, but it was too late. The crocodile was on her back legs and leapt towards him with surprising height. Yami screamed and closed his eyes, expecting to be ripped apart. Instead, he slammed against the ground and felt the air forced from his lungs.

. "Wow! Easy there Shirley!" A brazen voice heavy with an Australian accent and the thunder of heavy boots rushed over but Yami couldn't see who it was. He hadn't opened his eyes, expecting to be devoured. Instead, he felt something wet, rough and slimy rub against his cheek like wet sandpaper.

"What the hell?" he tried to sit up, but the heavy weight of the crocodile forced him back down and forced whatever air was left in his lungs free. The crocodile bellowed a low sound like a chuckle and continued her assault on his face. "Hey, that tickles." Yami laughed, trying to shove her off. Through the corner of his eyes, he could see Jaden, Syrus, Chazz and Jesse behind him and someone else he hadn't met before.

"Damn girl, you sure know how to knock the wind out of someone." He gently shoved her off him, but only managed to push her into his lap. She bellowed again and nuzzled his side, Yami blinked, unsure if he should be reeling from the terror of a near-death experience or pleased that she liked him.

"Shirley!" The crocodile stiffened at her name and looped her body around since she couldn't move her neck. Yami recognized the voice from earlier only now that he had a face to match it. A young, tall man, shorter than Kaiba but taller than him, called the crocodile. His raven hair, exploded beneath a brown, leather cowboy hat, one of his sea-foam eyes was bandaged. A long-sleeved riding shirt, black vest and matching pants covered much of his bronze, Australian skin but the tightness of them revealed a strong, muscular figure beneath.

A loud neigh echoed through the barn. The boys jumped back as a large black shape, Yami recognized as Phantom, burst through the doors and neighed loudly at the crocodile in his master's lap. The Crocodile growled angrily and crawled across Yami's lap. He hissed under her weight and bit his lip. Phantom lowered his head and threw a hoof forward threateningly. Sparks blazed in his dark eyes, meeting the crocodiles' own electrified eyes.

"Easy Phantom," Jesse tried to calm him, but dared not get to close, knowing the horse's actions were dictated by Yami's safety. Yami blinked, looking back and forth between the two glaring animals, who automatically declared themselves rivals.

"Now, girl, you know that's not how we treat our guests," The man scolded the crocodile like she were a disobedient child. She growled in disappointment and curled up at his feet. "And Phantom, what did I say about tolerance?" The man frowned.

The horse snorted and gently nudged Yami's side. "I take it he's your horse?" The man asked, offering Yami a hand.

"Yes," Yami nodded, taking the hand and let the man pull him to his feet.

"I'm sorry Jim, I forgot Shirley was in here." Jesse looked at the floor.

"Don't apologize, Jesse," Yami defended, "I'm the idiot that ran in here without thinking."

"How were you supposed to know a giant lizard was back here?" Chazz snorted.

"She's a crocodile, Chazz!" Jaden snapped at Chazz.

"Do I care?" Chazz snapped, then jumped behind Jaden when Shirley growled angrily at him.

"Serves you right," Syrus scolded.

The man laughed at the scene and turned to the teen, "So you must be the notorious Yami Jesse's told me so much about." He offered a hand.

"That's me." Yami shook it.

"Name's Jim. I'm the animal keeper here and the castle guide if anyone wants to explore. I know the wilderness like the back me hand so if you have any questions at all, just ask me," Jim boasted proudly. "You've already met my bro Jesse, and Shirley, my best mate."

"Her name is Shirley?" Yami pointed but immediately regretted it, hearing how rude it sounded.

"Yup," Jim explained, scratching under Shirley's chin. She purred. "She's a sweetheart, unless, of course, you're a stranger or just plain not nice." He turned to Yami with a grin, "but I don't think she'd ever reject to being called 'lady,' even if she hardly acts like one." Shirley growled again.

"It's what my father called our old mare. He always said to respect animals."

"Smart man," Jim complimented. "Honestly, I'm surprised she took to you so fast." Jim replied.

"And if she hadn't?" Yami asked, stroking Phantom's nose when the horse brushed his side.

"You wouldn't be alive right now," Jim said lowly. It sounded like a joke but the gravity in his eyes and voice told him it was anything but. Yami gulped, realizing how close he game to death if she hadn't liked him. Again, Phantom snorted and glared at the crocodile.

"Nah, that would never happen," Jess assured him, patting his back. "Shirley's a great judge of character, and, if she likes Chazz, then she must _love _you."

"I heard that!" Chazz growled, while feeding another horse.

"She's a crocodile, right?" Yami asked.

"Yup," He nodded, "I'm actually surprised you know that. Not a lot of people know about 'em."

"I read a lot. I'm surprise to see one here though, I thought they couldn't live up this far North."

"Normally, they can't, but it's pretty mild in summer. In the winter, she used to stay in the castle and hibernate but ever since she became a spirit, she's been more alive than ever."

Yami laughed until Phantom rubbed his side. When he finally got Yami's attention, he gestured his head to the pasture out back. "Oh, sorry boy," he stroked his head. "Jim, are there any saddles in here? I promised Phantom I'd take him riding today?"

"Be right back, any preference?" The stableman asked.

"Anything without a bit," Yami explained. "Phantom hates those."

"You're in luck, none of our saddles have bits—they hurt the horses" Jim slid open a huge barn door. Saddle, leather, tools and all kinds of equipment flooded the dark walls. He emerged a few seconds later with a sturdy leather saddle and gently settled it on the large horse's back.

"There you are," he tightened it. "That's one of the best we got."

"Thanks Jim," Yami nodded and hooked his foot in the saddle and threw his weight over Phantom's back. The horse whined in approval. "You guys coming?" He asked the boys.

"I'm alright, I still got the other horses here," Jesse assured him.

In a flash of red and blue, Jaden and Chazz, popped themselves in front of him in the form of a Kuriboh and dragon, respectively.

"Come on Sy," Yami offered him a hand noticing, the youngest servant hadn't changed his form.

Syrus bit his lip. "Is it safe?" He asked nervously.

"Of course," Yami assured him until realization smacked him in the side. "You've never ridden a horse before?"

Syrus shook his head. "My big brother never lets me do anything," he growled under his breath.

"Well then, I'll just have to show you what you've been missing." Yami, plucked Jaden and Chazz by the wings and placed them on his shoulders, despite their thrashing and pouting. "Sorry guys, but Syrus gets the front." He offered Syrus a hand.

Nervously, the boy took it. Jim lifted him up and steadied him and he climbed on top of the large animal. It was nothing like Syrus had ever felt. Being on top of such a large, powerful creature, even with Yami's arm securely around his waist and Jaden plopped in his lap to calm him down, it was terrifying. The creature's thick muscles pulsed with power. The sheer strength made him shiver, instantly intimidating him. He felt heat radiate beneath his fingers when he tried to hold on.

"It's okay Sy, I got you." Yami promised.

"And if you get scared, just hold onto me, okay?" Jaden promised, giving him a loving, comforting smile. Sy nodded nervously.

"I felt the same way the first time I rode a horse," Yami assured him. "They're powerful animals, so you have to respect them. Hold on tight." Yami warned and shook the reigns. Phantom neighed loudly and started a slow gallop.

Syrus immediately hugged Jaden tightly and held onto the saddle.

"Will you relax?" Chazz teased. "We haven't even started running yet."

"Shut up!" Syrus snapped.

Yami rolled his eyes and smirked at the dragon on his shoulder. "You've never ridden a horse either, have you Chazz?" The dragon's face went purple. He said nothing, knowing if he lied, Yami could catch it in an instant.

"Trust me, when you're riding a horse…there's nothing else like it," Yami spoke in a dreamy, far-away voice of someone highly practiced in such experiences. "It takes your breath away, the wind whips around you…it's like you're flying."

He almost didn't notice Phantom stop at the edge of the hillside. Yami gazed around the area, double-checking for wet ground or debris. The castle grounds must've been at least several acres of open fields like a sea of grass. Jesse was right: it was the perfect place to run.

"Ready?" Yami asked everyone. Syrus nodded timidly, tightening his grip on Jaden. Chazz dug his claws into shoulder. Jaden held onto the saddle, looking like a sailor about to enter a storm. With a sharp tug of the reigns and a kick to the side, Phantom was off!

"Go Phantom!" Yami yelled into the wind. The horse jumped his front legs in the air and the second they touched the ground, he sprinted. Syrus screamed and held onto Jaden for dear life. "Woohoo!" Yami cheered, relishing in the feeling. Their bodies rocked forwards and backwards with the steady moving of Phantom's hide-quarters.

Phantom ran as free and wild as a mustang: untamed, unrestrained, looped in large circles through the fields and wherever he wished. If Yami wished for him to change direction, he pulled on the reigns and the horse obeyed. Not once did he slow his pace or fail to perform. Hadn't his father always told him merchants, bandits even racers could be the most skilled at their craft but they were useless without the speed of their horses?

Yami closed his eyes and reopened them. God he missed this. The wind whipping around him, playing with his hair and spiraling around him like a silk cocoon. Moving parallel to the ground but not touching it. The rocking weightlessness of being on a horse's back. The heat and power of Phantom's body rushed through him, making him feel invincible. The joy of just running and having nowhere to go. Of being everywhere and nowhere at once. The power, the freedom, the rush, the adrenaline.

"You're right, Yami!" Syrus burst with exuberance. "It does feel like you're flying!"

"Like you're free," Yami added. Phantom turned and pushed himself up on his hind legs with a loud neigh. Everyone laughed and cheered like children on a roller coaster.

None of them noticed the winged figure admiring them from the balcony, watching the black stallion triumphantly gallop across the plains.

"The feel of flying…" Seto looked heavenward. His wings twitched, aching to be used. "I wonder what that's like…"

* * *

"Poor Phantom." Yami rubbed the worn out horse's neck. "All that running really tired him out, guess he was just as excited as we were," Yami sighed. After returning from their run, he and Jesse had taken special care of Phantom's hooves, cleaning away any mud, debris and moisture. Once that was done, the horse devoured half a trough of water and passed out, his energy completely drained. Yami leaned back against the sleeping horse's thick hide. Jaden and Syrus curled together: Jaden slouched against Phantom and Syrus sleeping with his head in his lap. Jesse had passed out earlier and was now slouching against Shirley, while Chazz followed his friends and curled up against Phantom on the other side of Yami. Yami's own body felt heavy with relaxation when he leaned against his oldest friend.

"That's one tough horse," Jim complimented proudly. "I haven't seen one run .that long and that fast for a long time. How old is he?"

"Phantom's been with the family for almost a decade," Yami explained with a small yawn.

"He's a fine horse," Jim stroked Phantom's side. "I haven't seen a pure-breed Arab in years. A black one like him is extremely rare, how'd ya fine him?"

"Well," Yami blushed, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "We didn't necessarily _find _him, he kinda followed us, after we—oh how do I explain this?" He paused and exhaled a breath.

"I'm listening…" Jim sat cross-legged and leaned back on his hands, listening attentively.

"Well, when I was ten, we spent a year in Egypt and my dad's mare was getting old so we needed another horse. Anyway, the three of us, me Yugi and Atem, saw this bunch of thugs rounding up a bunch of horses, and it was obvious they were wild horses. One of them had a really bad temper, so they chained him to the post without any food or water to try and break his spirit. The next thing we knew Yugi, being the caring, animal-loving little thing he is—he was only six or seven at the time—well, he undid the locks and the horses just ran out like there was no tomorrow. Atem and I had to drag him out of harm's way. The men didn't even realize the horses were gone until daybreak and, by then, they were too far out in the desert."

"And the stallion?" Jim asked, though he already formed a theory.

Yami blushed. "Well, Yugi said we couldn't leave him behind and he just had these really sad, teary eyes so I ran back and undid the reigns and told the horse to go. It did and it just disappeared. Even when the men went after it, no one could find it. No one saw it run through town or into the desert, it just vanished. Finally, they called it the horse's Phantom and gave up. A few days later, while we were camping in the desert, he turned up. I still have no idea how he found us, but he's been with us ever since." Yami looked over his shoulder at the sleeping equine.

"Sounds like you three earned his respect. My congrats, that's not an easy task. Took me years to earn Shirley's trust but it was well worth it," Jim explained but his attention was diverted by Jesse, who shivered against Shirley's hard scales. Jim removed his heavy vest and draped it over Jesse's arms until he stopped shivering.

Yami smiled at the gesture, then turned his attention back to the castle and sighed.

"What's wrong?" Jim questioned in the tone of a wise elder.

"Nothing," Yami replied, a tad quickly with a slight bitterness.

"You've been sighing all afternoon, now out with it!" Jim demanded gently.

"Alright," Yami sighed, "Seto promised he'd stop by after he finished something, but it looks like he won't be able to make it, and I'm just a little disappointed."

Jim's eyes widened. A smirk curled across his lips. "You like 'em don't ya?"

Yami's face went red. "Well, of course I like him. He let me stay here and pretty much lets me do what I wish as long as I don't get into trouble and it's much better than being locked up in a dungeon somewhere so—"

Jim shook his head and held up a hand to stop the teen's failed defense. "That's not what I meant." Jim smirked, resting his chin in his palm and his elbow on his knee. "I can see right through ya, mate, so ya might as well come clean."

Yami sighed in defeat. "Alright, yes I like him. He's not bad underneath all that angst and arrogance but—" Yami looked away with a small frown. "I know he has his reasons, but every time I try and get closer to him, he just keeps me at arm's length. And he's so cold, sometimes I can't read him. I hate that." He mumbled the last part, through a bite.

Jim sighed sadly. "You know, at one point in time, if anyone ever said anything about Kaiba being cold or distant, everyone around here, for the next ten miles, would either laugh their heads off or punch the sucker clear in the jaw. But I know whatcha mean. Being alone in that castle for so long finally took its toll on him," Jim sighed, sitting down on a bale of hay. He removed his hat and ran a hand through his spiky black hair. "Take it from me, Yam, I know from experience, when ya've been alone for a long time, ya heart becomes very hard, almost unbreakable," he paused and looked at his palm solemnly. "Cause ya just quit carin' and just don't wanna feel 'anything 'anymore. And for me, it was only a few years, try livin like that for a century."

Yami sighed and stood up. Shirley's eyes followed him. He turned around and his gaze fell back on the castle; the beautiful building that slowly became his home.

His hands balled into shaking fists at his sides. They didn't deserve this, none of them did, especially not Seto. Looking back and remembering his tale, it almost seemed appropriate he'd lose all faith in ever being free. It was so much easier to accept defeat than to keep trying, especially if the situation was already hopeless.

His eyes narrowed angrily. He got to his feet, making a silent pact with whatever heavenly body was listening before turning back to a concerned Jim and Shirley, smiling. "You know what, Jim? I'm going to break the curse."

The man's eye widened, not expecting such a response. He exhaled a sigh. Even if Yami knew how to break the curse... "Yami," he started but the younger cut him off.

"I know it won't be easy," He answered as if reading Jim's mind, "I don't know what it is or what exactly happened, but I want to help stop it. It's the least I can do. Everyone here's been so wonderful to me, especially Seto. And none of you deserve this fate. So somehow I'm going to help." His eyes blazed brightly with determination, his voice and aura radiating confidence and strength, daring anyone to oppose him.

Jim couldn't help but smile. "I think just you being here is enough, Yami."

"How do you mean?" Yami blinked confused.

"Well, for starters, I haven't seen Jaden, Jesse or even Chazz this excited since we planned Seto's number 21, once upon a time 100 years back." Jim laughed. "Or the girls and Malik this energetic. Bakura this happy, or anyone this…alive in I can't even tell you how long. Even Seto; he's eating more, he's actually out of his room more, hell he's even walking for cryin out loud, Jesse tells me. Do you know how long it's been since he's done that? And he starts actin…well, more human in only, what, a month?" Jim chuckled, smiling at Yami's bewildered expression. "You give everyone here hope, Yami, and trust me, that goes a long way…" Yami smiled and turned to leave but crashed into something hard and surprisingly muscled.

"Easy there," two familiar talons grabbed his shoulders. Yami's eyes shot to the source of the voice he knew all too well.

"Seto!" He cheered louder than he intended. Realizing how close they were, he stepped back a bit. "I didn't think you were coming."

"I promised I would, didn't I?" Seto teased, faking hurt.

"True," Yami nodded.

Seto peered over his shoulder. "I take it you all had fun." He gestured a hand to the tired horse and the sleeping quartet on the floor.

"You should've joined us," Yami teased, kneeling down to stroke Phantom's side. "Have you ever ridden a horse?"

"I used to," Seto explained, wondering about the stables. "Sadly, this body doesn't agree with it so I haven't in a while."

"That's a shame. There's nothing like it," Yami said almost dreamily. He tugged off his coat and covered Syrus and Chazz with it. Jaden snuggled closer into the fur. Seto smiled at the gesture and knelt down next to him.

"I heard," he met Yami's eyes. "Just don't let Zane find out you took Syrus riding without asking him. A hundred years and he still thinks of Syrus as fifteen."

Yami's eyes widened, then he looked away. _That's right. _He reminded himself and hugged his knees. _No matter how much time passes, they never age. Jaden, Chazz, Syrus, Jesse, they're all younger than me, technically._ Yami clenched his hand._ How much longer do they have to stay children?_ His eyes wandered to the fading sky against the castle. _And none of them can leave either._ At least he could leave if he chose. Everyone else was bound to the castle grounds. The realization made him feel guilty.

How many times while riding Phantom has he wished he could grow wings and fly away, leave that town, the death and everything else behind and pretend even for a moment nothing could touch him. Of course, he knew there were others out there worse off than him, he just didn't like to think about it. Who did? But now, faced with the reality, it was almost too much to bear.

"You know, Seto, you're lucky in a way," Yami said softly.

Seto stared at him. "I don't see how."

"You can fly," Yami replied, with a far-off passion in his voice. "Even if you can't leave the grounds, you can do what so many people dream off."

Seto stared at him but one look at Yami's sad eyes and smile and his eyes hardened. It didn't suit him: that frown, that look, it didn't fit someone like Yami, who was always fighting or always smiling. A dark idea came to mind. "Have you ever wished to fly?" A Cheshire cat smile split his face as he got to his feet.

"All the time," Yami sighed, not noticing the dragon creeping up behind him.

Suddenly, he felt the ground lifted from under him and his body heaved into Seto's arms like a bride. "What in the -"  
Once he had Yami securely in his arms, Seto looked at the boys, then at Jim "Make sure they get inside, alright. I don't want them or you sleeping out here."

"No problem. I already take care of 'em twenty-four-seven." Jim promised, tipping his hat. "You two go have fun." He winked.

"What fun?" Yami questioned, eyes widening in confusion. He tried in vain to free himself but Seto pinned his arms to his sides. "What is he talking about?"

"Hold on tight," Seto warned, before flexing his wings to their maximum span. "I hope I remember how to do this." He mumbled to himself. Yami's heart dropped into his stomach.

"Seto Kaiba what the devil are you—ah!" Yami ordered, then clutched Seto's chest tightly when they suddenly started moving. Seto leapt off the ground and flapped his wings. With a few powerful, continuous flaps and a powerful beat, he hoisted the two of them into the air, like a speeding bullet. Yami screamed. The sudden rush up had the wind rushing past them in straight lines at furious speeds. The pressure forced Yami to close his eyes and clench onto Seto tightly. When he opened his eyes again, they bulged out of his skull. The ground was at least a hundred feet beneath them and the only thing keeping him from plummeting through the empty air was Seto.

"What the hell?" Yami screamed and clamped onto Seto for dear life.

"You said you wanted to fly." Seto laughed.

"I didn't mean right now!" Yami screeched, holding onto him tighter.

"Just shut up and enjoy yourself," Seto demanded, jokingly. He flapped his massive wings and flew in a spiral. Yami screeched in terror. "Aren't you the one who said 'seize the moment?'" Seto teased, before retracting his wings and moving into a dive bomb. Yami screamed the entire way down. The sudden transition from moving at a slow and even pace to plummeting straight down at a breakneck speed and the wind rushing through him like an enormous gust, caressing his body with juxtaposing waves in unearthly speed. Adrenaline spiked his blood and excitement like the first drop of a roller coaster. It was terrifying and exhilarating all at once. Then, suddenly, Seto spun to the side, his wings unfurling around him and he spiraled in a huge loop. Yami felt his organs shift during the transmission but then he found them higher in the air. Now they were gliding, and even in Seto's arms, Yami felt like he was floating. Yami relished in the sensation of feeling weightless and unbound by gravity. He released his grip on Seto and lifted one of his hands to grasp the cloud wisps.

Water droplets tickled his hands, making him laugh. Seto chuckled. "Look down."

Yami obeyed. "Oh my," the words died in his throat. The world was beneath them. The fields and forests and rivers blended together, surrounded by mountains. Villages and the castle melted into the spectrum of greens, yellows and blues like an enormous oil painting.

"This is incredible!" Yami cheered like a child at an amusement park, "I've never felt anything like this!"

"I told you," Seto smirked. He paused as a sharp pressure stung his chest. "What was that for?" He growled, more stunned than angry and glared at Yami, who pulled back his fist.

"Don't ever scare me like that again!" Yami threatened angrily.

Seto stopped in the air, using his wings to catch the air and keep afloat. "You know, if you keep doing that, I might be too sore to hold you." He smirked darkly at the teen. Yami gulped but glared nonetheless.

"Don't even think about - ah!" Yami screamed when Seto's grip loosened and glared furiously at him. "Don't do that!"

"Whatever you say," Seto dove again. Only instead of diving, he looped and spiraled elegantly through the air. Yami laughed and gasped exuberantly like a child seeing something new for the first time. The new experience was exhilarating. His eyes brightened with excitement, his smile wide and joyous. It made Seto's heart flutter and his pride spiked, knowing he was the cause of the youth's happiness.

"You want to come down now?" He dove and spun into a flip, causing them to flip in the air and used his wings like a parachute to catch them.

"No way!" Yami protested. "This is incredible! We're flying! We're actually flying!"

"You're right," Seto agreed. "There's nothing like the feel of flying."

Seto hugged the teen closer to him and let them both drop. Wind stung his skin. A grin split his face when he saw the savage excitement in Yami's eyes and relished in the feel of gravity pulling them both towards the earth—only to cheat physics at the last second and return to the air.

It was incredible. Although Yami had ridden horses his entire life and Seto had flown for his entire curse, neither of them had experienced the true feeling of flight. It was the feeling of being completely unbound by any force that defined the earth's existence. It was a _good _feeling, incredible, almost indescribable; to be so heavy and bulky yet so light and weightless all at once. To feel the pull of gravity and the resistance of the air pushing against you, chilling you to the bone and peeling away the layers of stress, expectation and guilt leaving you exposed to elements.

It was a pure experience and Yami was thrilled Seto choose to share it with him. And Seto, though he could never say it, felt giddy with pride that Yami showed him how to experience it. In the end, neither of them could do anything but laugh and enjoy their wild and chaotic aerial dance they were part of.

Down below, the spectacle had caused the biggest ruckus the castle had seen since the Great Battle a hundred years ago. In the barn, Jim couldn't take his eyes off them and couldn't help but laugh like a patriarch watching his brilliant plan unfolding. The four boys awoke just in time to see Seto take off with Yami and vanish into the air. After a few minutes of panic, all four of them rushed back to the castle, leaving Jim behind to laugh more than he had in almost a century.

The quartet bolted through the house in different directions and alerted the entire house of the commotion outside. The guards in the tower rushed to the windows, just in time to see their master and guest drop. Their hearts plummeted in their chests until Seto did a one-eighty and was back in the air. Servants and staff flocked to the windows and climbed on top of each other to get a better look and when one view was no longer effective, they changed to another one. Malik watched the whole thing from Yami's balcony with a vacant face, unsure of what to make of it. Then a tear fell from his eyes.

"Are you alright, pretty?" Malik wasn't surprised when Marik landed on the balcony and wrapped him in his arms.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Malik smiled brightly and let Marik carry him back to the tower. "It's just been a long time since I've seen Seto like that."

Marik nodded, a smile split his face from ear to ear at the sight.

Neither Yami nor Seto were aware of the chaos their little moment of freedom caused the staff. Or that their flight could be seen from much deeper in the woods and a pair of wild eyes looked upon the event with bitter jealousy and disgust.

When the sun finally began to fade, Seto swooped around the castle and slowly landed gracefully on Yami's balcony. Once his feet were firmly on the ground, he set Yami down. The teen stumbled at first but carefully regained is footing.

"Wow," Yami said, brushing a lock of wind-blown hair aside. "That was—" He couldn't find the right word to describe such an exhilarating experience. He braced himself against the banister. His face flushed, his body felt heavy on the ground and his windblown hair flopped around his shoulders in an ungraceful mop. To Seto, however, he looked like bliss

"Incredible?" Seto answered for him, though even he doubted the word was sufficient enough to describe what happened. His heart was still hammering

"Yeah," Yami nodded, his face flushed. "Thank you."

"I should be thanking you," Seto shook his head. "I'd never have thought to try that if you hadn't convinced me."

Yami wasn't sure what he meant but decided he didn't care. Why ruin the moment?

Seto smiled and turned to leave.

"Wait, Seto," Yami called, not wanting him to leave just yet. Seto stopped and turned around, just in time to catch Yami as he hugged him tightly. "Thank you for everything you've done for me since I got here, just thank you." He said, holding Seto tightly.

Taken aback by the sudden action, Seto was unsure how to respond. No one had ever touched him while in this form; the servants didn't out of respect. Anyone else was too repulsed, fearing they'd be cursed. And yet a boy he'd barely known…how long had Yami been there, a month? Maybe a little more? The days seemed to fly by since the youth arrived. Suddenly, Yami started shaking. Fearing he offended him, Seto pulled him closer against him, a gesture that always worked on his brothers. It succeeded and he smiled when Yami rubbed his cheek against his chest and stroked the teen's hair.

Yami purred at the action, and did his best not to shake. Reality came pouring back to him at that moment. Before, he'd been able to forget, to ignore what was happening and pretend all their misfortune were a disturbing rumor. But now the realization of what he still had to do sent a fire of determination through him. _I'm going to break the curse. _He told himself, even after he let go of Seto and the other did the same. _No matter what it takes._

Seto met his eyes. They seemed softer now, calmer, more human despite the draconic slits. Yami couldn't look away. Even as Seto leaned forward and placed a feathery kiss upon his forehead. "Good night," he breathed and, with an elegant swoop, exited the room.

Taken aback by the sudden tender gesture, Yami felt like his body and spirit were no longer together. His body remained in a catatonic state of bliss and his spirit burst with emotions he never felt before. Smiling brightly, he fell back against his bed. For a moment, it felt like he was flying once again.

* * *

Originally this chapter was meant to be a lot shorter, contianing only Yami riding and meeting Jim, but while working on it, I came up with the idea of Seto taking him flying and I loved the idea so much I wanted to put it into the story but i couldn't find a place to put it. And given the duality between horse-back riding and flying I decided to stick it in here. I think it worked out pretty well.

I alos wanted to reintroduce the staff since its been, what, four chapters since they've been here? Rest assured everyone will play a large part of the cast from now on, espeically now that Seto is slowly coming back to society.

I also wanted to do more with this chapter than just another one that shows Yami and Seto slowly getting closer and Seto slowly becoming more human much to the shock of his staff-thus the theme of freedom and flying was born. Also all the information on horese I tried to amke as accurate as possible, I've never been horseback riding but I've always been fascinated by it and my best friend did it for years, so i get all my information from here.

Also the idea with Jim actually came to me almost a year ago, coincidently while i was having lunch. Jim is one of my favorite GX characters and I loved his relationship with Jaden and the boys so i thre him in as their surrogate guardian since he just seemes to have that air of brother protectiveness over all of them, espeically Jesse which is alos how Shirlet came in. I had a huge debate over whether to use her Japanese name or her English name but eventually I decided her english name led to mroe irony, so i had fun with that, plus it was fun having Yami deal with an animal he's never seen before and making a rivalry between her and Phantom (which i has so much fun doing! XD)

As always read, review, comment, critique, ask questions and I hope it was worth the long wait. Fortunatly, I only have three weeks left of school including finals, then I get a month and a half off for winter, so cross your fingers!


	16. Chapter 15: The Lord's Library

DR's first update of the new year-I apologize in advance for the two month wait, but school, holidays and original stuff was my prime focus at the time. Since collage has started up again, my work load isn't to heavy, so i plan on updating as much as i can.

Also, since this story has been on going for well over a year and a half, I've decided until further notice only this story and my new short fic Frost King will be updated until Dragon's Rose is finished. I've got the rest of the story planned out so all i gotta do is write the chapters...so my goal is to finish this my no later than my spring break-my April one not my February one though I sure as hell will try...

Anyway, same drill read, review, comment, crituque, ask questions and if something sucks or you don't think it makes sense: TELL ME WHY, so i can fix it.

**Disclaimer: **As always i own nothing but the plot-and the library, the castle design and Yami's outfits and poems. But other than that Yugioh and all its characters belong to my hero, Kazuki Takahashi, this scene and events inspired by the movie belong to Disney and the story Beauty and the Beast that inspired both the movie and this story belong to the French authoresses who wrote them-see previous chaps for the name.

**Dedications: **To all my fans for sticking with this story despite how long it takes me to update. Extra special dedication to one of my oldest and dearest Fanfic friends, fellow author and prideshipper Mitzumi Kare for not only reawakening my love of prideshipping enough to get this chapter up ASAP but her wicked awesome job betaing and putting up with my horrible grammar! You go girl!**  
**

I hope this chapter makes up for the two month wait. With luck I'll have the next one up in roughly two weeks, depending on how long it takes me to finish my two short assignments and finish the next chapter of Frost King. Enjoy! ^-^

* * *

Chapter 15: The Lord's Library

"I can't believe he took him horseback riding. Without even asking me," Zane said for the tenth time that hour, much to Malik's annoyance.

"It's your own fault for being such a ghost the last two weeks—guard or not," Malik teased leaning against the balcony, his wings lowered against his back. "Besides, he was perfectly safe with Yami and the boys. You gotta stop babying him, Zane, he's 115 years old."

"He's still my little brother," Zane countered, but his argument was weak. It was difficult to argue when is brother's smile was a lot brighter than it had been in…as long as he could remember.

"And your little brother's all grown up." Malik teased, and whirled around to join his companion.

Seto only half paid attention to his two closest servant's conversation, his attention focused on the scene beneath his balcony.

Snow had rained heavily over the course of the week, restricting most of the staff to the house and forcing Jim and Jesse to move the horses and animals, including Phantom, to the safe house beneath the castle, where it was warmer and safer for them. Phantom hadn't been too happy about having to be confined for so long, especially with Shirley there as well, but the horse eventually calmed down, when the new accommodations made it easy for Yami and the boys to visit him. The young ones had really grown on the stallion, especially Syrus, much to Zane's chagrin.

Snow blanketed the landscape once the blizzard ceased. Thick icicles hung from the balconies and roofs of the castle, and snow caked the roofs and towers. But the frosted surface, open fields of white hills and frosted trees created the perfect environment for the spry youths currently playing in its contents with all the exuberance of children.

A small smile played across Seto's face when he watched Phantom, draped in a thick cover up that had taken Jesse and Yami and hour to get on him, push Syrus off the mound he was standing on. The small youth crashed into the pile of snow, only to poke his head out a few moments later and laugh. The hose snickered until Yami pelted him with a snowball and he snorted in annoyance and started to chase him. The laughing cerise eyed teen took off like a dart, but the horse was faster and knocked him into a nearby snow bank. He swore he saw a pout on Yami's face as he got up.

Off in the corner, Jesse laughed so hard he fell over, clenching his sides. Jaden and Chazz had started a snow ball war with that started with flying snow balls, and ended with the two of them trying to lose the other around a tree. A small snort escaped him when Syrus dumped a huge snow ball into Chazz's spectral back, scaring the wits out of him. Even in his spectral human form, he felt cold. Jaden congratulated the sneaky blue-haired teen by transforming into a kuriboh and hugged Syrus so tightly he fell back into the snow bank. His eyes gleaming with revenge, Chazz hurled a snowball at the two, but it missed and hit Jesse in the face. The green-haired teen retaliated and attacked with a snowball of his own but Chazz dodged just in time, only for it to hit Yami instead. Before long another wall of flying snow ensured.

"See, look at them," Malik commented, planting his feet on the ledge between the balcony's gaps and leaned over. "When was the last time you saw them having so much fun?" it was a rhetorical question but everyone knew it was directed at Zane who said nothing.

Seto didn't hear. His focus was on his captive—though once in his thoughts the word no longer seemed appropriate. He felt a small jump in his chest when Yami threw another snow ball and gave a cheer of victory when it hit.

_That smile._ Seto mused, realizing that was the first time he'd ever truly, seen Yami smile. Or laugh. What was even more alarming than seeing him suddenly get pelted by a microscopic army of perpetually teenaged youngsters, was Yami himself. The teenager smiled brilliantly and laughed alongside the kids like he had never before experiences something so enjoyable in his life. It was a stark contrast to the feisty character he'd become accustomed to over the past two months. Just the sight of Yami's radiant smile he'd kept hidden from him, Seto's frosted heart seared. His breath hitched being suddenly exposed to the most innocent and blissful side of the otherwise resolute and world-hardened young man.

For a brief moment, Seto would've given _anything _to have Yami smile at him like that. Subconsciously, his hand touched his bandaged torso, beneath his opened coat. He hadn't bothered wearing a shirt under it, incase Yami insisted he change the bandages again. With a small swipe of his claw, the bandage came undone. Carefully, he unwrapped the white garment, and clutched it tightly in his hand. The wound had fully healed by now. It had taken much longer than he thought it would, and had no doubt it could've been a lot worse, had it not been for the teen's persistence.

"Seto?" He faintly heard his name being called. "Are you alright?" he recognized Zane's voice. "You've been quiet for a while."

"I-" he opened his mouth to speak but found no words could come out. Again he was taken aback by the now relaxed smile Yami now sported as he and his playmates collapsed exhaustedly against Phantom's thick side. "I've never felt this way before," he breathed. His claws subconsciously moved to his chest as if feeling his heart beat for the first time.

"Felt what?" Malik asked, curiously. Following the King's eyes he resisted the urge to grin, but knew he was best to approach the issue cautiously.

"I'm not sure," he answered honestly. A low growl escaped him. He hated not being in control. In his mind, not knowing how he was feeling or what the feeling was no different. "I hate not being sure," he ignored how juvenile he sounded, and the smirk he knew was plastered across Malik's face.

"Is something wrong?" the three turned around at the question. Behind stood a tall, bronze-skinned man in outrageous armor like golden gryphon, similar to Malik's but much more complex; an explosion of bleached hair highlighted sharp, lavender splits. Before anyone could respond, Malik pushed himself off the ledge and tackled the youth to the ground with a fierce kiss.

"Nice to see you too, hellcat," he replied, when the tailor let him up.

"Is there anything you need, Marik?" the Dragon King asked the Head of his Guard.

"Permission to leave that guard tower, for one thing?" Marik barked. "I swear even Bakura gets to spend more time with his husband than I do."

"Whatever," Seto rolled his eyes and started back towards his room, and down the stairs.

Marik blinked "What was that about, usually, he barks at us every time we go off Duty without him saying so?" Marik turned to his husband. Malik smirked, and leaned to whisper in his ear. Marik's lavender eyes doubled in size then shrunk as a wicked smirk curled across his face like a Cheshire cat. "Thanks the gods, I thought we'd never get out of here!" he burst with glee.

"Don't get too excited," Zane reminded, his eyes glued to his brother who was wrapped ever so tightly in the arms of Jaden Yuki. "It isn't enough for him to _find _the key, remember?"

"Perhaps," Malik shrugged, rearranging himself in the throne of his husband's lap. "But it's a start."

* * *

Seto collapsed in his favorite chair at the head of the dining room table and sank to the seat. His hands massaged his temples in a desperate act to help him think. It did little to help. His attention turned to the wide window, the curtains drawn open. From this side of the castle he could only faintly see the dots of his captive and his servants, but that perfect, spry smile Yami had worn so effortlessly burned vividly in his mind.

He sighed and collapsed his upper body against the table. A small stab of pain filled his chest at the realization that he was probably the only one who hadn't had the honor of seeing Yami smile like that—or maybe he had and didn't realize it. It was so different from the one he had the time they went flying together. He'd felt this foreign emotion then too—only then it wasn't as severe, for reasons he assumed was simply because he hadn't had time to focus on them.

"Damn it," he groaned.

"Trouble in paradise?" Seto shot up. Bakura stood next to the table balancing an empty tray level with his head, Ryou next to him.

"I honestly have no idea." Seto grunted.

That perked Bakura's attention. "Seto Kaiba, the Dragon King, doesn't know what's going on?" he asked with mock surprise.

"Are you feeling alright, Kaiba?" Ryou asked concerned, leaning closer to feel his forehead.

"I'm fine," he protested the cook's actions. "It's just strange…"

"What is?" Bakura pulled out a chair and sat down, elbows rested in front of him, listening intently.

"When I saw Yami today, playing in the snow with the kids. Normally, I'd just think it was childish or idiotic when the only the only thing they'll do is get cold and wet, but—I've never felt this way before," he paused not sure how else to explain it.

"Like what?" Ryou asked just as wide-eyes and curious as his husband, who could only remain silent with a small look of awe on his face.

"Like I'd do anything to him smile like that all the time." With that answer, Seto rose to his feet, icy eyes bright with determination. "I want to do something for him. Not as a 'thank you' or a repayment, just for the hell of it."

If Bakura had been eating or drinking something he would've chocked. When the hell did Seto _ever _so something spontaneous? Or just for "the hell of it"?

Ryou ponder the question, despite his husband's state of shock. "Well, Yami loves books." he suggested, though it was more a question than a statement.

"Books?" Seto questioned, though the statement didn't surprise him. It seemed natural Yami would possess an artistic soul.

"Yes," Ryou nodded and explained. "His first night here, he explained how he always goes to the library in town."

An idea formed in Seto's mind, forming a grin. "I've got an idea." And with that, he turned around and burst from the room, radiating an aura that could rival the children playing outside in the snow.

Once he was gone, Ryou returned to his husband. "Bakura? Are you alright?" he asked, waving a hand in front of the man's frozen face.

* * *

"There ya go, Phantom." Yami strapped a warm, fleece over the horse's back and neck. He snorted loudly in response, Yami's bangs blowing back from the hot breath of the stallion's pout. "Don't be childish, you know you don't do well in the cold, so I don't care how much you don't like it, you're wearing it," Yami scolded, flicking the horse's nose with his thumb and forefinger.

Phantom whined in response and lowered his head in disappointment.

"Now, now, don't be like that," Yami sat cross-legged on the ground so he was level with the horse's face. "Just remember, once winter's over, we can spend all our free time riding in the spring," he soothed the horse and sweetened the deal by presenting a shiny red apple. The horse gobbled the sweet treat and nuzzled his master's hair. Yami chuckled before gathering himself and climbing over the stall door. "Night, Phantom," he winked.

The horse neighed loudly before settling down in the corner and assumed the sleep position.

A low grunt stopped Yami before he entered the castle. He turned around and felt a rough, heavy head nudging his legs. He looked down and found Shirley rubbing her large head against his shins.

"Awe, I'm sorry, girl." He knelt down and strokes her head behind her eyes. "I didn't mean to forget you." Her scales were rough beneath his gloves but she purred anyway. "Good night," he smiled.

Satisfied the female crocodile turned herself in a semi-circle and walked away before plopping down beneath the wall where on the other side the boiler perpetually burned, providing both the barn and the animals with heat. Yami smiled and headed inside. Had he stayed a minute longer he'd have seen Phantom expelling a heavy breath across the crocodile's back and resume his sleep position just before Shirley jumped and whirled around to see what had disturbed her.

He closed the thick door behind him, and almost fainted as a sudden wave of heat made his body sweat. The flames in the boiler burned bigger and hotter than ever in order to fill the house with enough warmth for winter. Mouthfuls of firewood already filled the masonry heaters and fireplaces filling the rooms used in the castle while leaving the ones not in use to absorb whatever heat was left over—no sense in wasting wood.

Yami stripped out of his black bear-furred coat, heavy with frost and melted snow. He gave it a few good shakes before hanging it up, next to the boy's dripping snow stuff. He left his boots on, despite the water seeping through his boots and socks to his skin. Again he was grateful Malik had insisted on increasing his wardrobe to accommodate the coming winter.

Once back in his room, he wasn't surprised to find his four playmates already asleep curled up on his bed and a tray of food on the bedside table. He smiled at the heartwarming sight. Chazz, in his dragon form, curled up on his usual spot, Yami's left pillow like a cat, while Syrus curled up against Jaden's chest with said boy's arms wrapped tightly around him, like a young couple. The only one not in a formatted sleeping posture was Jesse who took to snoring loudly, while sprawled across the bed instead. Yami didn't know whether to laugh or awe at the scene.

"Bet they had quiet the day," he mused to himself plopping down in his desk chair and removed his soaked boots and socks. He dumped them and the rest of his wet clothes in the nearby basket; the girls would get them in the morning. Searching through the wardrobe, he pulled out his warmest sleep-wear, grimacing at the light material. "Not to self, tomorrow ask Malik for warmer pajamas." He noted, and disappeared behind the changing wall.

He emerged a few moments later clad in a light rose-colored sleep shirt and matching pants. He shivered when the cold air from the balcony window bit his arms. Growling, he yanked the curtain closed and threw another log into the still burning fire, before climbing into bed, and making himself conformable without disturbing its four other occupants.

"Ra, I hate the cold," he grumbled to himself, shivering slightly, and tired to pull the covered around him as tightly as he could to keep the warmth from escaping.

Just as he was about to fall asleep, a cold hand clamped over his mouth, shocking him awake. His eyes flew open and he was about to start thrashing until he heard a "shhh".

Seto looked down at him with his forefinger in front of his lip. "You'll wake the boys," he shushed. Seeing who it was, Yami instantly calmed down and shoved the hand away. He was about to roll over and go back to sleep, but Seto gently rolled him back onto his back.

"Kaiba," Yami yawned, voice and eyes drowsy with sleepiness. "I'm tired, what is it?"

"I have a surprise for you," Seto winked and gently slid his hands under Yami's knees and back. The teen put up no resistance when Seto lifted him into his arms and silently exited the room. Once in the hall, Seto checked to make sure Yami's eyes were closed and flexed his wings, taking to the air. The sudden movement startled Yami awake, and he clamped onto the front of Seto's shirt and coat. "Hey! Kaiba, put me down!" Yami squirmed, but the man's grip only tightened. "Can't I walk on my own? I hate be carried." He whined.

"Absolutely not, Kitten" Seto playfully smirked. He chuckled at the teen's hissy fit, like a cat that got all wet. "So just shut up and enjoy it," he commanded, but the playful tone made it sound more like teasing than a threat. With an 'hmph' Yami pouted and crossed his arms over his chest, and looked away. One of his eyes closed, to combat the force of the wind, as Kaiba flew.

"Now, now, you're too old to be pouting," Kaiba teased and landed.

"I'll pout all I want to.," Yami playfully snapped, still refusing to look at Seto. A small smirk formed on his lips, when he heard Seto grunt in annoyance.

"Are you sure?" Seto asked, trying to get Yami to look at him, but Yami was determined not to give in.

"Alright," Yami could practically hear the wicked grin in Seto's voice. But before he could ponder it, Seto jerked his body, so Yami's back was pinned against Seto's chest. When he regained focus, he looked over the dragon's arm and found Seto was standing on the ledge of the hallway banister. His eyes bulged in realization and he bolted around and opened his mouth to protest, but before all sound turned to screams when Seto leapt into the air and plummeted three stories down, like a rock, towards the first floor.

Yami didn't remember screaming but he knew he was as he found himself hurtling through spaces and his arms unable to grab anything but air and the arms imprisoning him against the bulky body dragging him down. His stomach crashed into his lungs and his heart slammed into his throat. When Seto flexed his wings and righted them with a jerk, a swoop, and a single drop, Yami felt all of his organs crowd and crash against his rib cage than plummet straight into his lower stomach. He covered his mouth with a hand to keep himself from vomiting.

Instead of plummeting downward, they floated gently to the ground, on the parachute of Seto's wings. The dragon's expression hadn't changed, even after they gently landed on the floor, with Yami panting and gurgling in a desperate attempt to rearrange his organs.

He chuckled at the sight, invoking a furious growl from Yami. "Never. Do that. Again."

Seto said nothing, and lifted the limp body of his captive into his arms, and carried him down the hallway. When the dizziness wore off, Yami recognize the way to the ballroom, only instead of entering, Seto turned right down the hallway he lost the boys in. Large curtains pooled like waterfalls of gold and silver thread around enormous windows embedded in the walls. Moonlight poured through them illuminating the different posed dragon statues standing in between each window. The hallway ended in front of two curved-shaped ivory doors outlined in gold, beneath a glittering sapphire tapestry embroidered with a huge silver tree.

Seto carefully set Yami down on his feet. Now wide awake, the teen stood curiously before a part of the manor he had yet to explore. He opened his mouth to speak, but again was cut off, this time by a sudden blackness wrapping around his eyes.

"Kaiba, what are," his hands instinctively moved to remove the blindfold, but Seto grabbed his hand.

"It's a surprise," he said, loosely tying the silk red scarf securely around Yami's eyes. He kept his paw on Yami's hands. "And I can't have you spoiling it, by peeking."

Yami sighed, and let Seto guide him. "Can't you trust me by now? What if I promise not to open my eyes?"

"I do trust you," Seto admitted. The scream of wooden doors opening filled Yami's ears. Temporarily blinded, he let Seto guide him inside the mysterious room. "But I also know your curiosity has a nasty little habit of always getting the better of you, and I won't let my kitten make the cat's mistake." Yami couldn't help but smile at how playful Seto's tone was…almost childish.

"Did I just hear Seto Kaiba make a joke?" Yami spoke in mock astonishment Had he not been wearing a blindfold, an eyebrow would've been arched.

"No, you must be hearing things," Seto replied, sarcastically, but played along anyway.

They stopped in the middle of the room, and Seto let go of his hands.

"Can I take this thing off now?" Yami said more impatiently than he meant to sound, but there was anxiousness that didn't go unnoticed by Seto.

"Not yet," he whispered. A swoop sound and a gust of wind was his only warning, followed by the screech of reeling curtain holders. Light brightened the darkness covering his eyes. Was that moonlight?

"Now?" Yami asked with the anticipation of a child waiting for a birthday present.

A loud thump was his answer. "Now," Seto carefully cut the blindfold and moved so he could see Yami's reaction.

Yami kept his eyes closed for a second, momentarily fearing what he was going to see but his enthusiasm won and they slowly opened, then bulged with stunned mystification. A gasp of delight escaped his mouth and his cheeks flushed with happiness. He spun around taking in the wonder around him, and resisted the urge to pinch himself in case he was dreaming.

"This is…incredible!" Yami breathed, his eyes alive and bright with childish wonder as they took in his surprise—the largest, most magnificent library he had ever seen.

The room was enormous and rectangular with a roof that curved to a slope. Books lined all four of the walls so tall ladders were placed on them in intervals. The shelves were separated only by two enormous stain glass windows stretching all the way to the ceiling, glittering like rainbow crystals. The moonlight illuminating them in a way the sunlight never could.

In the corner an elegant golden staircase with spiral patters carved into the wooden banisters spiraled to a second floor—an entire open circle overlooking the first floor. The bookcases on the second level, looped together like a giant circle stopping just at the base of a huge mural painted in rich detail upon the ceiling: a rich midnight blue dotted with multiple silver stars with bigger ones forming constellations, whose true forms were painted in brilliant gold lines. Hanging from the center of it was a huge golden orb with a web of arms each holding different colors spheres that bobbled and moved independently. A mobile of the solar system, Yami realized.

On the ground floor, globes dotted different locations, as well as several couches and chairs. Two or three large desks made from giant smoothed slabs of stone, resting on the backs and wings of stunningly carved wooden dragons, angels or gryphons made a suitable work station on either side of the room. Their wings outstretched, and carved so realistically he could see the pride on the faces of the gryphons and the suffering on the angels as the slab crushed their backs.

Two book cases stretched perpendicular from the walls stood on either side of an enormous white marble fireplace trimmed with gold and interline with black onyx. Just above it behind the banister of the second floor rested another huge stain glass window, only this one was arched and was decorated with the symbol for the Tree of Knowledge.

But what stunned Yami the most were the books. They were different from the ones he was used too. Fiction or non-fiction each tomb was an antique, bound in velvet, leather or hard covers with thick hinges of brass or silver. Some had locks; others had jewels embedded in the cover. Older volumes had simple plain leather or velvet coverings with only the title on the side. Others were painted a vibrant blue, red or green and illuminated with gold script. Age had dulled the colors, but none of them lost their wisdom. Upon closer inspection he notice each elegantly carved book case had a sliding glass cover protecting the books from air and moisture—even the second floor has multiple glass doors despite the circular shape, showing him these books had not just been well-used but loved and cared for.

"Wow!" Yami practically jumped with excitement, before bolting around and pouncing on Seto in a hug so sudden he almost fell over.

"I take it you like it?" Seto laughed.

"I love it!" Yami beamed. "I've never seen so many books in my life, or such an amazing place, I mean look at this!" the teen raced around like a kid in a candy store, admiring each shelf, each globe, each desk, the fire place, then bolting up the spiral stair case and exploring the entire top section. He moved so fast, Seto got dizzy following him.

"Thank you!" Yami thanked, earnestly when he came back downstairs, and hugged him tightly. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"I'm glad you enjoy it," Seto's smile brightened. Yami's face was almost an exact mirror of the one he'd seen earlier. "Ryou mentioned you liked books, and when I learned the boys hadn't brought you hear yet, I thought you'd enjoy it."

"I can't believe I never saw this place, before." Yami breathed still stunned.

"It's actually not that far from your room," Seto explained, gently guiding the stunned boy to sit on the couch, until he calmed down. "You should've mentioned you like books, I'd have been more than happy to have you accompany me."

Yami bolted towards him with a skeptical look. "You like books?"

"Very much so," Seto boasted proudly. "In fact I'm responsible for the entire second section of the library."

"You're bluffing," Yami chuckled.

"I'm totally serious," Seto insisted. His eyes lit up recognizing Yami's game. He crossed a leg elegantly over his ankle and gestured to the library with one hand. "After my parents took over, this was the first thing they commissioned the workers to build. They always said 'the best education is one we find in stories rather than textbooks'."

"Good advice," Yami chimed in.

"I agree," Seto added then continued. "And since this, ironically, was the only place my tutors never looked for me, I spent a great deal of time here. I never left the castle unless it was on business with my father, so I spent most of my free time reading. My tutors just thought I was naturally gifted."

Yami laughed and started pulling books from the shelves, checking the titles for if he wanted to read them or not. "I can see why? There are so many books here I haven't read, I doubt I'll ever leave."

Seto burst out laughing at the comment. "If you mean leave this castle than I hope you don't, but if you mean leave this room than I hope you do—either way, Syrus, Jaden, Jesse and Chazz would be absolutely devastated."

Before Yami could answer, Seto carefully removed the book from his hand and placed it on the nearby desk. "Come with me, I have something else to show you." He carefully interlaced his claws with Yami's fingers and guided him to conjoining door he hadn't noticed in his excitment

"What else could you possibly have to show me?" Yami asked a tad surprised and awes at once. His hand gave Seto's a small squeeze.

A grin was his only answer. "You'll see."

Seto shoved the oakwood doors, and they opened with a loud thud. With a snap of his fingers, bolts of blue lighting bust from his hands filling the iron chandelier candle holders with glittering crystal blue stars of light. What they illuminated almost blew Yami's mind.

He didn't waste any time and burst around the rounded room that's ceiling curved to a point as if build inside a tower. The ceiling consisted of an enormous mural of different things: bird flying towards a central point, dragons flying across the room, a lion roaring proudly over his vast kingdom, a stampede of mustangs… the art so real Yami could see the freedom blazing in their eyes.

His fingers brushing against elegantly carved glass cabinets holding priceless looking books, and windows stretching from floor to ceiling, overlooking different angled of the castle, one being the stables, another a garden that would look ravishing in the spring. A couch rested on one side and a plush chair in the other by a beautiful white marble masonry heater. In the heart of the room was a large stunning carved oak wood desk, with legs carves in the shape of regal, sitting cats and the bureau caring the carvings of roaring lions. The polished surface stood complete with bookends shaped like lions, a small section of writing supplied in front of a stack of notebooks and papers in the corner and even a series of drawers for supplies and storing notes.

"Is this…for me?" Yami asked, speechless.

"This is my study," Seto mentioned. "When I was younger this was the one place I could stay and let my mind escape," Seto leaned himself against the desk and gazed heavenward then lower his chin with a small smile. "But sadly, I haven't used it in a while," his eyes met Yami's "So yes, you are free to use it whenever you like."

Yami looked like he'd burst from happiness. "Thank you so much!" Yami squealed in a uncharacteristic manner and rushed over to hug the dragon, who was taken aback by the action, but returned it none the less.

Before he even comprehended what he was doing, Yami leapt around the desk and plopped his lithe frame in the armchair. He grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and immediately started jotting away.

Curious, Seto leaned over, but Yami covered this work with his upper body and growled before he could get so much as a peek. "No reading over my shoulder," he warned.

Seto looked taken a back but crossed his legs underneath him and carefully hovered at his side with a curious and open expression. "Ryou said you were self-concious about your work, but I didn't think you'd be this defensive."

Yami blushed. "It's not that," he explained crossing out a line in favor of another. "You can't read something before it's done unless it's being edited—it ruins the entire thing."

Seto sighed. "Alright, I won't pressure you."

Yami frowned catching the sadness in his voice. He bit his lip, and offered the dragon a small smile. "You can read it when I'm done," he promised. It's nice to get feedback, after all."

"Alright," Yami jumped when Seto breathed in his ear, scattering papers in his shock. He gasped and drop to his knees with a blush of embarrassment. His hands stroked over a piece of paper, his blush worsened realizing what it was, and he started gathering them up in a panic.

"Are you alright?" Seto asked noticing his change in mood and slid off the desk and knelt down to see what was wrong.

"Yes," Yami jumped in front of the desk hugging a stack of papers in one arm and blocking the desk with the other. When Seto stopped moving, Yami turned around and continued gathering the papers together in a thick messy pile. "I'm just I hate leaving a mess."

Seto rolled his eyes and frowned but left him to fuss. A stray paper caught his eye and he picked it up. "You forgot-" he started until the words _The White Dragon _flashed in bright letters like a beacon.

_Skin like living marble_

_Shields my flesh from harm_

_Crystalline scales and the gems of my eyes,_

_Make me a treasure to all who behold me_

_The shadow screams in fear at my presence _

The lines poured together. His eyes widened picturing the creature in his head until Yami snapped it away and stuffed it back into a thick leather binder.

"Sorry about that," Yami apologized, red dusting his cheeks.

"Did you write that?" Seto asked, stunned.

The red darkened. "Yes," Yami mumbled. "It's not finished yet, and it's just a draft but-"

"It's beautiful," Seto interrupted him. "I didn't know you wrote such beautiful poetry?"

Yami bit his lip and rubbed the back of his head nervously. "I write a lot of things. Poems, stories, anything I can think of, really. I love to read so, eventually, I decided to try writing some stories of my own. They aren't as polished as they should be but-"

Seto chuckled and covered his face with his hand.

"What is so funny?" Yami demanded annoyed that the man would laugh at his passion.

"Forgive me," he said earnestly. "I just find incredibly ironic, you're extremely talented and confident yet you're so self-conscious about your passion. We really need to work on that, Yami."

Said teen blinked. "You think I'm talented."

"Very," was the answer. Yami searched his face for any sign of dishonesty. When he found none he smiled brightly ignoring the color darkening his face. "Thank you."

"May I ask where inspiration for that poem came from? The White Dragon?" Seto asked curiously, taking a seat on the couch.

"I've been dreaming about it," Yami clarified, brushing a loose blond tendril behind his ear. "For months it feels like. They're always different…but," he paused and bit his lip. "This one was different…this time I was being chased from a shadow and it catches me and just as its about to kill me, this huge white dragon comes from the forest and saves me and though I can't put my finger on it, I know him. The second I look in his eyes I know exactly who he is. Dreams inspire my poems," he explained clutching the binder so tightly against his chest his knuckles went right and prayed he didn't sound like a complete fool. "Sometimes, when I write them down, I understand them better, but this one just eludes me."

"Dreams are the best source of inspiration." Seto quoted, catching Yami's attention.

"Beg pardon?" he asked.

"My mother always used to say that," Seto explained, looking heavenward again. "She had dreams like that too, but she would draw or paint them instead of write them. The gallery is full of her work." He turned to Yami, who notices the calm smile on the man's face. A true smile. "She always said two things are the best sources of inspiration: life and dreams."

"Good advice," Yami agreed. "Sounds like your mother and I would get along," he put the portfolio on the table and took a seat next to Seto.

Seto chuckled. "She would've adored you—she knew how to keep everyone in line as well, even me. Even my father."

"How so?" Yami asked, recognizing a glow in Seto that only appeared when he spoke of the woman, he so clearly idolized.

"Like how when I complained about never being able to go anywhere and how boring this castle was, she'd scold me and put a book in my hands or bring me to her gallery. She said if I wanted to go to exotic places then I would have to find them myself. She was right," he met Yami's eye. "I can honestly understand her appreciation for the arts, be it words or paintings. I read and found so many exotic places: some real, some fictional, but I enjoyed nothing more than forming my own perspective of what the author or artists was trying to say."

"Well, if they're like me, I just love to write," Yam confessed. "I doubt you'd enjoy my work then."

"Good Lord, Yami, have you no faith in yourself?" Seto laughed, half-teasing, half-furious. "The only time I've ever seen you anywhere near this timidwas during our encounter in the ball room."

"What encounter?" Yami blinked, then memories suddenly came flooding back. "Oh, that," he grumbled trying to sound incoherent. "I remember," he grumbled more from embarrassment at how helpless he'd been more than anything else.

"Are you alright?" Seto blinked, earnestly confused.

"I'm still mad at you," Yami said, trying—and failing—to sound reserved.

"For what? I only locked you in your room." Seto demanded.

"I'm not talking about that, you idiot!" Yami almost jumped to his feet in anger.

Realization slammed into Seto like a sledgehammer. "Oh…that." He slid back into his feet. "You're still angry I asked you to kiss me?"

Yami could've screamed at the blunt statement. "No," He said sweetly with dark eyes. "I'm angry that you _demanded _I kiss you."

Seto twitched at his tone, but decided to turn the situation back into his favor. Last thing they needed was to open old wounds. Amusement danced in his eyes. "But I thought you said you've been kissed before. You weren't lying were you, Kitten?" he said, suspiciously.

Yami's face fell, going scarlet in a second. "First of all, don't call me Kitten, second," he cleared his throat hoping to swallow the lump of nervousness. It didn't help. "No, I wasn't lying, and yes, I've been kissed before. About that, though…" Yami blurted before he could stop himself, heat burning his cheeks red. "That day in the ballroom, why did you want me to kiss you?"

Seto shrugged his shoulders. "Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time."

Something struck his head with a loud 'whack!' "Ow!" he yelled more from shock than pain. "What was that for?" he demanded, confused as well as angry.

"For being an ass, that's what!" Yami scolded, but pain leaked into his voice. Seto met his eyes, hard with hurt. "You shouldn't have asked me to kiss you if you didn't want me to."

Seto cursed his own stupidity and resisted the urge to smack himself. "Whoever said I didn't_ want_ to kiss you?" He blurted without thinking, but he'd be damned if he'd let another misunderstanding ignite a wall between them. He swallowed his pride and answered "But you're right; I shouldn't have asked you that and I'm sorry. But in all fairness, you did _punch _me when we first met. I figured that would've at least made us even."

Yami blushed. He'd forgotten about that. He'd been so determined to keep the image of that arrogant, ruthless dragon who kidnapped his family in his head, but now, looking at the Dragon King now, it didn't seem to fit.

He pulled his knees against the couch and wrapped his arms around his knees. "That was back when I still hated you, you know."

"Doesn't change the fact it stung like a bitch, and I'm not talking about my cheek either," he explains.

Yami sighed, guiltily. "No, it doesn't." he unfolded himself so his knees rested on the floor, and met Seto's eyes. "I'm sorry," he apologized, earnestly. He gasped in surprise when two strong arms wrapped around him and pulled him against him. He could feel the heat of Seto's muscles even through the thick purple trench coat and black jumpsuit.

"Let's just say we're even then." His grip tightened on the squirming teen

"I have a better idea." Yami grinned, and managed to turn around so his front was now presses against Seto's chest. At least now he could look him in the eye. "How about we just agree to not keep score anymore? It only seems to give us both a headache."

"Agreed." Seto nodded. "I meant what I said though," He met those rose-red eyes. "You really need to learn to let go."

"What do you mean?" Yami asked with a frown and an arched eyebrow. The leer in the King's eye made him nervous but the determination blazing in them burned right threw his defenses, exposing secrets he kept so well guarded.

"I mean, for as long as I've known you, you've done nothing but sacrifice your own happiness for the sake of everyone else's, and I think I know why. You're afraid of letting yourself be happy, because you're afraid of giving your hopes up."

Yami's eyes expanded. Seto stroked his cheek, hoping to keep him calm and continued. "You never care about yourself, you always put others first, even if it means you're not happy. It shows in your work, that's why you're so insecure about it isn't it? You over think everything and in the end you decide it's not worth the risk. You need to learn to stop thinking and just lose yourself in the moment."

Their positions had rearranged. Yami's body pressed against the couch, with Seto next to him, half-straddling him, but his body lowered to meet Yami's eyes. Yami looked at Kaiba, this close he could feel the heat radiating from his body and the coldness of his skin. The teen searched his eyes for any signs of dishonestly. They held absolute truth; a truth that both exhilarated and terrified him. Was it really worth the risk? He'd already lost so much, was it really worth it to risk losing what little he had left?

"And I think I know how…" Seto continued. His smirk hadn't changed but his voice was nervous "Let me kiss you."

Completely caught off guard by the request and the sincerity behind it, Yami had no idea if he should be angry, stunned, or say yes. He tried to think but he couldn't with his heart hammering against his ribcage.

"Don't think," Seto warned, "just feel."

"Didn't we just…" Yami began, but Seto cut him off and looked him dead in the eye.

"You said I should only ask you to kiss me if I meant it, now I'm asking if _I _can kiss _you._ Because I want to…" he blushed a bit, but there was no masking the genuine feeling in his eyes, leaning forward until their faces were only inches apart. "So, may I?"

Yami bit his lip, momentarily forgetting how to speak. He hadn't been this close to Seto since that day in the ball room. But now, free from his anger and resentment he could now pinpoint every sharp curve of the dragon's face: his white fangs protruding slightly over his lip, the sharp point of his chin, the detailed scales of his fin-like ears, the sharpness of his eyes. Had Seto always been so perfect? And when had he stopped calling him Kaiba in his thoughts?

Seto stayed perfectly still, only an inch from Yami's lips, but waiting for the other's consent. His eyes focused on the worried rose-red. "Don't be scared," he whispered, hoping to calm the other.

The tenderness in it sent a warm shiver through him. He looked from the dragon's hovering lips to the sincerity burning in those ice-blue eyes.

"Seto…" he breathed, and Seto's lips gently touched his and gently enclose around him. Yami's hands rose in instinct, than pushed his lips against Seto's encouraging the other to continue. Their lips barely touched, but that gentle moment alone made both of them feel more passionate than any of their past flings combined.

It was Yami who deepened the kiss. His arms moved to wrap around the taller man's shoulders, pulling him closer. Obeying the smaller's request, Seto instinctively laid the other down on the couch, and pressed harder against him. His tail moved, wrap around the boy's waist, one scaled arm wrapped around Yami's upper back, while the other gently cupped the back of his head pushing him closed against him, hungrily capturing his captive's lips.

Yami thought his heart would burst without how fast it was beating, and tightened his grip on Seto, convinced he could hear it, but the Dragon King was distracted by the own burning sensation firing his blood. Unable to resist, Seto moved to dominate the kiss, and was surprised when Yami let him do so, surrendering the right to explore the different curves of his mouth. Yami gasped softly when they broke away, and Seto searched his captive's half-lidded eyes for any sign of doubt or regret. But there was none, and Yami found his lips again and pressed them together once more.

Yami gasped softly at the sensation riling through him, galvanizing his being in a way he never experienced. It was like having been only half alive his entire existence and was only now being brought fully to life. An excitement that made his breath hitch and his body shake each time Seto pulled away.

Only their most prevail need forced them apart, they mutually broke away panting. Their eyes opened to meet the other: rose red opened to frosty sapphire. The enormity of their previous action hit them like a freight train. Wide eyes met wide eyes as they untangled themselves from the other and moved to sit on opposite sides of the couch. Yami pushed his feet against the end of the couch and rested on his knees, his back to Seto and his eyes glued to his hands. Seto pushed himself into the opposite corner as far as it would allow, his arms crossed over his shoulders and one leg crossed nervously over the other, suddenly finding the floor very interesting.

Neither of them spoke, unsure how to address the situation, the burning of their encounter still fresh in their veins.

It was Yami who broke the silence. "So…" he put his feel on the floor, and gently leaned his free hand towards Seto. Out of the corner of his eye, the dragon caught the strawberry blush dusting his face. "What now?" He asked with a small smile.

Seto's form remained stiff and regal, but a small smile cracked his lips. He felt more alive than when he was human. He noticed Yami's eyes purpling in the moonlight.

"I think we should get some sleep, before dawn arrives." Seto's chest burned at the cute smile on Yami's face. "Tomorrow is a new day," he concluded and got up, and gently pushes Yami's chest until he was lying on the coach.

A wave of fatigue suddenly overcame the small tean, whether from the excitement of the night, his anxiety from a few minutes ago or a combination of the two he wasn't sure. He yawned loudly, and tried to keep his eyes focused but sleep dulled his senses.

Faintly he felt a semi-thick cloth covering his lithe frame. A smile graced his face. "Seto…" he called. Said man froze in place. When had Yami started calling him by his first name? "Thank you," the boy smiled, though it was marred by sleepiness.

Seto returned it with a smile of his own, a genuine smile for the first time in as long as he could remember. "Good night," he kissed the boy's forehead then collapsed in his favorite armchair next to the heater.

Watching from the windowsill, but hidden in the darkness, a red-eyed gremlin sneered before disappearing into smoke, having shown its master all he needed to see.

* * *

Another semi-evil cliffy for you all to ponder...

As i said i hope this chap was worth the two month wait-I also wanted to say i LOVED the library scene its one of the two scenes I've been dying to write for the longest time. I had so much fun picturing and designing the Kaiba library and i based it off not only the library I want in my house, but the kind I found that existed in real 17th and 18th century castles. Originally, i was gonna have Seto show Yami his mother's gallery too, but when I got to that part, i decided it would be too much and wouldn't go where I wanted the chapter to go, so I changed it to him giving Yami access to his private study instead...which i think in the long run worked out MUCH better.

Also, to clarify something that i know will confuse people, I wanted to make this as realistic as possible castle-wise so i used an old form of heating system for the castle called mansonry heaters, basically they're be a heater in each or in every other room, made of stone material and very lovely and ornament so they look like declarations and since stone both absorbs and expells heat it would be enough to warm large amounts of space for great lengths of time. in this one though, rather than having the servants have to refill them all at the same time, i have them all connected through the pipes to the boiler room so the first layer of the castle is heated because of the boiler room and the rest is heated through the heaters. I hope that makes sense.

Also, my main concern with this chapter was i was a tad nervous at some spots if Yami or Seto sounded ooc. I went through hell working on the transitions and the dialogue but i'd really appreciate it if you let me know how i did. Also, like i said they wouldn't get together that fast, and I was reading over my reviews and someone mentioned the Ball room scenes and when Yami punches Kaiba a couple chaps back and i felt that if they gonna pursue something they gotta get passed that so there ya go-and yes they kissed, but no one give you're hopes up. if i didn't make it obvious they've still got a long ways to go...I'm keeping this realistic and if a kiss can be that heated when neither of the are sure how they feel about each other than, this is gonna be one hell of a roller coaster.

anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it!


	17. Chapter 16: The Day Hope Dies

I AM SO SORRY! To be honest my goal was to get this chapter posted LAST WEEK! But Frost King wouldn't leave me alone, then last week was pure hell despite the week off (I need another vacation) and...I absolutely HATED writing this chapter! I really did! Me and this chapter fought each other tooth and nail in an all out war, no fricken joke, that's how bad it was! I ended up rewritting sections and parts SO many times...one section took me three hours to do, but i absolutely hated-scrapped it and took it in a whole different directions and that worked. I really wanted this chapter to get out what i wanted it to say though: i REFUSED to make it a filler, and personally i think its not since there's a lot of foreshadowing going on and important stuff but yeah...

This chapter was meant to be longer but i decided to split it in half-as such chapter 17 should be out next week (God willing, because i have three papers and two projects to do within the next two weeks for college, which SUCKS but yeah, so i will work my damndest cause i hate having all this shit over my head)

**Dedications:** Thank GOD for my wonderful Beta Mitzumi, for giving me confidence and the furry to preserver with this bitch of a chapter, giving me awesome feedback for it, and basically keeping this chapter from totally sucking...You rock hun! Also to Shadow Halfbreed, a fellow friend and AMAZING Prideshipping writer for the inspiration and the competition needed to keep me going, and of course to SAM The Dragon Girl, another fellow priseshipper for just being a sweetheart, and keeping me from totally loosing my mind due to stress. I LOVE YOU ALL!

**Disclaimer: **God i hate these things, Everything belongs to Kazuki Takahaahi and the French lady who wrote the original Beauty and the Beast. I own the plot for this chapter though since it does not exist in any version of Beauty and the Beast to my knowledge.

As always, read review, comment critique-PLEASE, since I'm not sure how i feel about this chapter, even though i did get across everything i wanted to say, i'd appreciate the feedback.

* * *

Chapter 16: The Day Hope Dies

_He was dreaming. _

_He knew that. _

_He knew because he was running through a golden sea of reeds and wheat towering over him and scratching against his arms and neck. His hands moved to push waves of gold out of his face. His destination glimmered a pure white in the distance, barely visible through the thicket. He cleared a path with his arms and almost stumbled when he found himself in a field of blue and purple wild roses. Dewdrops glittered upon their rare colored petals like tiny rhinestones. Green vines disappeared in their shadows. _

_Four figures he hadn't seen in his dreams before, let alone in his paradise, were there. A tiny boy dressed in silver almost vanished among the huge bushels of blooms and gathered a bouquet of them in his arms. Next to him sat a taller boy in form-fitting gold and black armor. His hair and face were concealed beneath an armored helm, but his childish smile radiated in the light. He gently placed a crown of roses upon the silver boy's head. Another young man stood only a few steps away, holding a dozen long-stemmed red roses draped over his arm. A blue cape danced in the wind around his black and silver armor, giving him the illusion of wings. His eyes monitored the two like a watchful guardian. His partner stood on the other side of the clearing armored in blue and white. When he turned around his eyes caught Yami's. They were dark blue. He smiled and turned to the rest of his party. Yami felt no fear or concern or even embarrassment, when all eyes fell on him._

_The boy in silver giggled, stood up and tossed the roses into the air. They burst and scattered, their petals dancing in the wind like a blizzard of ripped ribbons. He watched the silver boy run off into the field followed by his three guardians, the one in black and gold, never staying too far from his side._

_Yami followed them—only to fall flat on his face. He rolled over; his eyes widened in horror. Vines tangled around his ankles, deep thorns pricked into his skin. He screamed and thrashed at the roots until blood leaked from his ankles and he finally ripped the roots free._

_Without hesitating he sprang to his feet and ran. Vines crawled towards him like half-buried corpses clawing their way out of the earth. Ahead he could see the four from earlier. All he had to do was get into the clearing and he would be safe. With a leap he jumped over the claws of thorns—_

—_And screamed when he landed. The four boys were in heaps on the floor. The boy in silver kneeled over the taller body of his dark-haired man in silver armor. The armor was bleached with streaks of dark red seeping between the joints. A gaping hole in his chest gushed blood like a gruesome volcano. Around him his guardians collapsed into crying heaps on the floor. Their armor, rusted and cracked, fell around them in a grisly circle. From their backs, skeletal limbs hung lifelessly, tattered and unfeathered like the ripped wings of condemned angels. Around them roses withered and decayed into crumbling black piles. Their petals crunched and fell like ashes to the ground, unable to cling to their stems. Instead of roses, they were imprisoned in a valley of terrible thorns. Spikes protruded from vines like evil claws and oozing, green fangs. Vines curled like chains around huge masses splattered in splotches of red. Suddenly, thorny vines arose like terrible snakes. He screamed but the four boys did not move. He tried to run but froze when he recognized what those horrible blood-splattered lumps were. They were corpses._

_He opened his mouth in horror, but could no longer scream. Vines suddenly dug into the ground criss-crossing over the other like a spider web over him and the boys, ensnaring them in separate cages of thorns. The boy in silver looked him straight in the eye. His entire being froze gazing into cold, vacant, silver deprived of any hope. "He's after you now,"_

_The warning was so cold and chilling it, sent a shiver of pure dread down his spine._

_A crack echoed in the dreadful silence when he stepped back. Hesitantly, he looked at his feet. Solid ground cracked at his feet forming a delicate spider web beneath his weight. He sucked in a breath and willed himself not to move. Watching as silver cracks grew from cracks with each hesitant shift of his weight, until the ground beneath his feet was a mess of silver scribbled. A sickening screech was his only warning before the ground shattered beneath his feet. He tried to scream but all sound was suffocated by the silence as he plummeted into darkness. Everything around him felt heavy, like he'd crashed into water made of hot, thick air. Hs hand flew to his mouth his mouth; no air reached him. He thrashed against the darkness. He swam and climbed; anything he could do to move himself skyward, but everything failed. The darkness swirled above him. The last flicker of light faded more and more with each passing second._

_He screamed when something sank into his ankle drawing blood. He kicked and looked down. Blood red eyes glared back at him. A jagged maw of disgusting fangs opened at an impossible angle, and old decrepit skin, black as decay and shriveled like a wrinkled prune connected to those eyes. Inky black hair spilled into the darkness, making those soulless eyes glow repulsively bright with lust, hunger, greed and power. He kicked and thrashed, in a desperate attempt to get away from the monster that had once tried to kill him. It kept is grip and started climbing up his form. _

_His blood froze in his veins. Terror paralyzed him. He opened his mouth to scream but even his voice was silenced by fear. The creature crawled closer and closer towards him—opening its mouth to devour him completely. _

_This was it. He was going to die._

_An unstoppable roar of fury and protectiveness cut through the darkness like a bolt of light. The monster screeched like a dying animal when it was thrown back into the abyss by the powerful force._

_Overcome by the exhaustion of relief, he looked up. A white star glittered in the darkness like a shinning ray of hope flying towards him. Light burst brighter and brighter. He recognized it…the dragon that saved him earlier. Silvery white wings suddenly wrapped around its body, consuming the powerful god-like creature in a cocoon of light._

"_No!" he cried out to it, kicking and clawing upwards towards it. "Don't leave me—" he begged, his hands clawing closer and closer but no matter how hard he tried, or how far he climbed, the light encased dragon was always just out of reach._

_He could hear the yowls of the decaying monster behind him, clawing up the shadows like a wall with the savagery of a wild animal. He didn't dare look back; he kept climbing, reaching towards his dragon…the monster's claws barely grazing his feet._

"_Don't go!" He pleaded. "I won't leave you! I promise! Please don't leave me!"_

_With that final plea, an explosion of silver and blue light banished the darkness. The monster screamed falling back into the darkness of the abyss it had come from. He felt his grip loosening, just as he was about to join the creature in darkness, a soft, strong hand grabbed his own._

_His eyes widened as he met his savior…beautiful crystal blue dragon wings burst from the back of a young man, nothing but light shielded his lean form. Blue eyes, wide and perfect, met his with so much promise._

"_I know you…" he breathed the words. Those eyes…the same eyes he'd seen on the dragon who saved him. The same eyes that belonged to the stranger in his dreams. The same eyes that captured his heart and kept it so close he was terrified it might break._

"_Who are you…" he asked, breathlessly._

"_Don't you know?" his dragon soothed, pulling him closer. So close their faces almost touched…_

Suddenly his eyes flew open and he bolted up right, like someone had punched him in the gut. Yami shook his head and looked around. Once he confirmed he was indeed awake, he fell back and covered his face in his hands, cursing loudly.

"Damn it! I was so close!" Why? Why was it every time he got close to seeing his 'dream lover's' face he woke up? He sighed and pushed himself into a sitting position, the coat covering him falling to his hips.

"At least, I know he and the dragon are the same person now." He smiled to himself. That mystery was solved. "Now I just need to figure out what it means?"

He rolled over, expecting to grab one of his pillows—instead grabbed air and flopped onto his stomach. The thump of flesh hitting wood echoed through the room when he landed.

"Ouch," he groaned and shot up. This wasn't his floor. If the antiquarian books, expensive looking desk, long velvet couch he's woken up on, and large purple trench coat with a wing like tail pooling about his hips were any indication, he was now in the Dragon King's study. In his pajamas. Wrapped in one of his coats. He could still feel the intensity of the previous night on his bruised lips. His hand covered his mouth in a weak attempt to hide his already red face. Speaking of which, he looked around.

He squinted when white light stung his eyes. Sunlight danced off the glittering silvery-blue scales of wings hanging limply over the arms of a plush green velvet armchair. A clawed hand rested peacefully on the armrest and messy chestnut tresses and light blue fins peeked out the top of the chair.

Curious, Yami tip-toed around the chair. "Seto?" he whispered. The Dragon King hummed in his sleep but did not stir. His head leaned against the inner chair with a small smile on his face. His body slouched comfortably in the chair. His tail hung loosely over the arm of the chair. Yami didn't know whether to chuckle or awe at the site. He chuckled and gently brushed Seto's bangs away from his sleeping face. He jumped back when Seto smiled and hummed loudly at the touch. It was a feathery touch, he shouldn't have felt it. Yami stepped back, not wanting to embarrass himself.

"Speaking of that," he caught his reflection in the glass door of the bookcase and grimaced. The black fleece pajamas he wore were wrinkled and scrunched in places. His skin shined with the night's oils. His sleep-tossed hair flopped about his shoulders making him look childish as did Seto's purple and gold trench coat he practically swam in. "Ugh, I'm such a mess." He shook his head and combed his hair with his fingers and smoothed his pajamas with his hands.

Yami had never been one to care what anyone else other than himself thought of his appearance but right now he hated the way he looked. He just couldn't figure out why? Was it because of…last night? The thought made his face burn, but he shook it off. Now was not the time to act on raw emotion. Gathering his dignity, he quickly folded Kaiba's coat over his arm and laid it on the couch, scooped up his files off the table, hugged it to his chest and tip-toed towards the door. The knob was within his grasp…

"Oh no you don't," The young man yelped when he was suddenly lifted bridal style off the ground and thrown over a shoulder, grateful he hadn't lost his grip on his folder.

"Kaiba!" He growled, red-faced with anger, annoyance and embarrassment. "What did I say about carrying me? Put me down!" He banged on the man's back with his fist and the folder. He tried to sound threatening but Seto just laughed.

"You know if you want to sneak out, you _have _to be quieter," the dragon teased, not even bothering to look over his shoulder, and existed the study. "Seriously, Yami, I'm not a light sleeper, you're just very noisy."

"I didn't wanna wake you," Yami replied, shoving his palms against the dragon's back and wrenched his hips forward. He froze when he felt something stroke his hip, his face going straight to purple. "W-What was that?"

Seto's smirk darkened. Faintly, Yami caught the King's tail wrapping around his thigh. "You should squirm so much if you don't mean it."

A growl and a vibrant blush was the Dragon King's reward. "Whatever," Yami turned away, but Seto caught the disappointment in his voice. He didn't like it.

"I didn't mean to offend," he apologized as sincerely as his pride would allow.

"Its fine," Yami replied, but Seto wasn't convinced. "Can you please put me down? I have to get dressed."

"But you look so cute in those," Seto said playfully, maneuvering Yami so he landed in Seto's arms.

Yami growled, no longer in the mood for teasing, and mentally kicked himself for his earlier juvenile thoughts. "Enough teasing," he squirmed in the man's grip, but Seto held him firmly.

"I wasn't teasing," he said honestly. Yami raised an eyebrow unconvinced. "I wouldn't lead you on like that," Seto assured him. "Would you have preferred I lied and say you look a haggard fright?"

The brutal honesty sent a thrill of delight and a shiver of anger through him and a blush of rage and unfamiliar emotion painted Yami's face. "No, I wouldn't. Thank you." He looked away. "I still need to get dressed, though."

"Alright," Seto conceded and set Yami on his bare feet. "Then at least let me be your guide," he bowed dramatically, mimicking an English gentlemen.

Yami rolled his eyes and laughed. "You're hopeless."

"I take that as a compliment."

* * *

They found Yami's room fairly easy. Again, Yami felt a stab of annoyance having been so close to such a remarkable room without realizing it. He really had to chat with the boys about what else he hadn't seen yet.

Yami stopped in his tracks. "Damn, I forgot about that," he mumbled to himself.

"What?" Seto asked, stopping in mid-step.

"I forgot the boys slept in my room, again. They probably worried when they woke up and I wasn't there…again." He groaned at the thought. He hated worrying those sweet kids.

"I'm sure they're used to it by now," Seto assured him placing a hand on his shoulder. "I think they're getting used to you dividing your time between them and myself." Seto laughed. "And if I know them, they're probably thrilled. Hopeless romantics, the four of them."

Yami choose to ignore that comment, much to Seto's disappointment, and shoved him aside gently to open his door.

And came face to face with the last thing neither he nor Seto expected to see: Jaden and Syrus making out on his bed. "What the hell?"

Both boys screamed in horror realizing they'd been discovered. Jaden jumped so far back in fright he fell off the bed and landed on his back. Syrus froze like a rabbit cornered by a fox.

"Shit. Shit." Jaden mumbled like a broken robot, freaking out.

"Jaden, are you alright?" Yami asked, dropping to his knees and shook the shaking boy. Jaden's frozen face was slack with shock and terror. Syrus hadn't moved from his spot on Yami's bed, heart hammering against his ribcage, his forehead damp with sweat, his tiny hands shaking and gripping the bed spread so tightly the threads started to rip beneath his knuckles. His horror-struck eyes still glued on the Dragon King standing dumbfounded in the doorway.

"What the hell is going on?" Seto gestured with his hands, more baffled than angry.

"Um…uh…I can explain!" Jaden jumped up waving his arm in defense, and shuffling away from a very confused Yami. "See, we…uh…slept next to each other and…wait no, uh, strike that, we uh…fell in a jumble and-"

"Shut up, Jaden!" Syrus cut him off, dark red splashing across his face.

"Syrus, are you alright? You're turning red." Yami asked concerned and pressed the back of his hand to Syrus's forehead and his other hand to his own. "You don't have a fever."

Syrus's blush deepened and brushed the man's hand away. "I'm not sick! We were just-uh," he paused and looked at his lap, his hands gripping his shirt.

"You were kissing Jaden. What's wrong with kissing your lover?" Yami asked confused. Syrus's eyes expanded.

"Kissing!" Jaden tripped over his own feet, and crashed the top half of his body on to the bed. When he shot back up his face was beat red and he waved his hands back and forth in front of him. His breathing escaped in guilty laughs. "We weren't kissing! What would make you think that-"

"Oh will you stop that already?" Seto covered his face with his hand and shook his head. "Like Yami said, it's not a big deal. You two have had a hundred years; honestly I'm surprised you waited so long."

Jaden's jaw hit the floor. Syrus's entire body went lax. "Wait, you knew?"

Yami laughed. "Well," he rubbed the back of his neck. "No offence you two but you made it pretty obvious." Unable to take anymore, Syrus fell backwards and collapsed. Jaden followed his example and slouched against the bed.

"You can't tell _anyone_." Jaden mumbled too drained to even raise his head. "_No _one knows about this!" He said seriously.

"Jay, Sy, you two better cool it, I saw Kaiba and Yami coming this—" Chazz warned from the hallway balancing a tray on one hand. He stopped at the entrance. His eyes wondered from Seto to Yami, then to his two friend's horror-stricken faces. "Uh…never mind." He set the tray on the desk. "I brought breakfast."

Yami rolled his eyes and turned to Syrus and Jaden. "No one knows, huh?"

"No one _can _know!" Syrus crawled to his knees and pressed his hands together. "Please Yami you can't tell anyone. If anyone finds out they'll tell Zane!" Syrus begged.

"And then he'll kill me-again, er, whatever. Fact is Sy and I won't get to be together anymore." Jaden copied Syrus.

"Zane?" Yami raised an eyebrow and turned to Chazz. He opened his mouth to speak then remembered. "Oh that's right, you haven't him yet."

Yami shook his head. "Who's Zane?"

"My Steward," Seto answered. "He's always busy and doesn't like socializing, so I'm not surprised you haven't met him yet. He's also Syrus' older brother."

Yami bit his lip and turned to Syrus. Memories of Atem suddenly filled his mind. Memories that included suitors with black eyes, coming home late and finding him sitting up waiting, and the one time he got busted for sneaking out—he never did find out what happened to that particular date. "I see your concern. But, given that you all live here, you do know eventually he will find out right?"

Jaden's eyes widened in fear and he sank to the floor. Syrus rolled his eyes and sighed. "I know. I just don't want him to know just yet. He's still, well, its' complicated."

"Well, you know?" Chazz suggested grabbing one of the biscuits and stuffed it in his mouth. "You two already share a room, spend all your time together, and everything else. And we're all already dead, technically, so worst case scenario he throws a fit and just stops talking to you."

Syrus glared at him. "I don't _want _him to stop talking to me, I just want him to get that I'm not a kid anymore. I may still _look _fifteen but I'm at least a hundred and seventeen by now. I've had a lot of time to mature and grow up." There was a hidden sadness in his voice, only Yami seemed to notice. His eyes focused on the fist clenched at his side.

"Yeah, we just get all the perks of being young and vibrant," Jaden gave a comforting smile and wrapped his arm around Syrus' waist and started stroking his hair. The boy blushed and smiled. The sight made Yami smile but at the same time, he could catch the hidden tone.

"Well, as happy I am that all this is out in the open, we should eat breakfast before it gets cold." Seto gestured to the tray Chazz brought up.

"I'm surprised." Yami unfolded himself from the bed and set the tray on his bed to share with everyone. "Bakura usually makes a lot more than this." He snatched a pomegranate and started eating it.

"Oh this isn't breakfast, this is just until you get downstairs," Chazz explained.

"Pardon?" Yami asked, while Syrus and Jaden devoured most of the food.

"What did Bakura do this time?" Seto sighed in annoyance.

"He said he was sick and tired of everyone skipping meals so he told me to bring that up," he pointed to the tray, "and tell everyone if they weren't down stairs in thirty minutes he'd make me drag Yami down kicking and screaming since he's bound to the hearth and can't leave the kitchen, and doesn't have the patience to get your permission."

Seto groaned. "That's Bakura alright. Alright, you three get started on your chores; I'll make sure Yami gets downstairs."

The three nodded and scampered out.

"I can take care of myself, you know," Yami sighed, annoyed and set the empty tray on the night table.

Seto blinked and shook his head. The teen was a spitfire. He was almost glad that hadn't changed. "I'm well aware of that, but that doesn't mean I can't offer my help once in a while, right? After all, wasn't it you who said no one can make it in the world on their own?"

Yami exhaled a breath of annoyance, and nodded. He hated having his own advice thrown back at him—a habit his brothers were famous for. "Do you mind, waiting outside? I need to change first."

Seto nodded and moved towards the door. It swung open in an instant sending him crashing backwards in shock and crashing to the floor, knocking over the ray in dishes when he reached to grab something.

"Yami!" Duke burst into the room, the flush-faced with handful of objects in his arms. He sighed in relief when Yami stared at him from across the room. "Oh thank goodness, I've been looking for you all day. Tea asked me to give you these," he burst across the room, not noticing his growling master on the floor covered in scattered dishes, and shoved bags of clothes into Yami's surprised arms.

Yami yelped in shock and stared between Duke and the bundles in confusion.

Duke answered his unasked question. "Malik said with the weather getting colder and all, you should have some warmer things."

"Thanks Duke, I'll try them on tomorrow." Yami nodded and thanked him.

The herbologist smiled and left. "See you at breakfast, and you might wanna be quick, Bakura said if you're not down in half an hour, he'll drag the entire hearth upstairs to get you, and I wouldn't push his temper. Ryou can only calm him so much." He darted down the hall.

"He couldn't wait until after breakfast to give you those?" Seto remarked, sinking his claws into the night stand and hauling himself off the floor. Dishes slid off his lap and clattered as they fell.

"Well, he probably wanted to give them to me last night, but you kidnapped me and held me hostage in the library, remember?" Yami teased opening the wardrobe and placing the clothes there.

Seto smirked, swooped behind him; his tail wrapped around Yami's waist. The teen jumped at the feeling of weightlessness and met piercing sapphires. "I don't remember you complaining," he smirked then arched a curious eyebrow at the bags. "You aren't going to try those on?"

"Nah, I'll just have to try them on again later for Malik, might as well wait until they're here." Yami shrugged and wormed himself out of Seto's grip.

"I don't understand you Yami," Seto shook his head.

"What do you mean?" Yami asked.

"You make such a fuss about being independent, yet you let everyone fuss over you all the time. I'm used to it, but it can't be fun for you holding still and having the girls dress you up like a doll all the time?"

Yami shrugged. "I don't mind just as long as they don't go overboard," he replied leaning against the desk. "Let them have their fun."

Seto looked surprised then chuckled and shook his head. Yami looked puzzled as Seto moved towards him, then blushed vividly when Seto stroked his cheeks. The cool claws sending a shiver through his heated skin "You really are amazing, Yami. It's no wonder everyone is so fond of you: you give them hope."

"Thank you," Yami blushed at the comment, and stumbled backwards. The color on his face grew when he realized he was still in his very light pajamas. "I should get changed; I'll see you at breakfast." He dashed into the joint bathroom.

Seto laughed and left to give the teen his privacy.

Yami exhaled a loud breath, slid to the bathroom floor, and leaned his face in his hands. "This is ridiculous!" he scolded himself. "This isn't even a relationship so why am I acting like this?" He ran his hand through his hair and clenched his bangs in frustration.

Deciding a bath would sooth him, he turned the knobs and held his breath as the stench of sulfur filled his nose and the stampede of pipes echoed through the walls. He stripped off his pajamas and tossed them in the wicker basket and placed a towel on the table. Once the tub was full he turned off the water and slid into the water like it was exquisite oil. He hissed at the hot water slightly burning his skin, but soon relaxed into the warmth. While it soothed his body, it did little to sooth his mind.

He slid into the water until only his shoulders were above the surface and stared at the ceiling. "But if I wanted, I have the option. Jaden and Syrus fight so hard to keep their relationship a secret. Bakura's bound to the hearth. Seto can't leave the castle. Even that crocodile is a ghost." He raised his hand from the water and watched the water drip from the skin. Not that anyone but him and possibly Seto could feel water, unless in their mystical forms, but even then they were still creatures.

He clenched his hands sinking his nails into his palms, his fist shaking. "They can only exist as ghosts." How could he possibly _not _let them fuss over him, when they had nothing else to do? He didn't have the heart to break theirs. Even now he could still recall how happy the boys where when he first met them. Bakura's excitement whenever he said he was hungry, just for the fact that he could start cooking again. Mai's enthusiasm at having someone new to talk to. Malik practically swooning when Yami's taste in clothing gave him a chance to explore all the new ideas he wanted to try. Even the Maître de seemed in higher spirits whenever he was around.

"God Damn it!" he slammed his fist down and splashed water on his face and dunked his head beneath the water. "How am I suppose to break the curse if I don't even know what the curse is?" He'd read the fairy tale so many times, but every time he got to the last page it was blacked out. He'd tried every way possible to learn the secret but all his attempts failed.

"And I can't ask anyone…" he folded his arms over the side of the tub and wove a hand in his hair. "Even if they wanted to tell me, they can't. Stupid curse! How can that Sorcerer expect them to break the curse if they don't know how?" He could've kicked himself for how stupid that sounded and resisted the urge to bang his head against the rim of the tub. Because the Sorcerer didn't _want _them to break the curse-he wanted them all to suffer half-lives for the rest of eternity. This wasn't a children's story. He reminded himself. This was real. And in real life the bad guys didn't give the heroes a chance to win. They didn't care who they hurt as long as they got what they wanted.

The thought made his blood boil. Seto, the boys, Mai and Jou, Bakura and Ryou, Malik and the guards. They were all innocent. His nails sank into the porcelain. Seto's only crime was his courage and his devotion to his people.

How long would it be before Jaden and Syrus could not longer restrain themselves? Why should they even have to? There love could only go so far. They'd been together for a hundred years, yet they couldn't get married, not legally anyway, because they weren't alive. They couldn't find their own place to live and be alone because they were bound to the castle. And not just them, what about Joey and Mai? Ryou whose husband was forced to remain in the kitchen? And Malik's who he rarely saw as it was because he was a guard? What other restrictions did their loves and lives have to suffer? It wasn't fair!

He broke the surface of the water bringing an explosion of drops with him, angry hands clenched the walls of the tub as he clawed out.

"They don't deserve this. None of them! I can't do a damn thing to help any of them!" He stomped his foot sending another eruption of water into the air. He climbed out of the tub and grabbed a towel.

"That-that-" he couldn't find the right word. Monster came to mind but he instantly silenced it, not wanting to insult his friends. "He had no right to do this to them, absolutely none! And the only loophole no one knows!" He wrenched the towel out of the basket and angrily dried himself off. Just the thought of the Sorcerer and what kind of man he must've been to do such a thing made Yami's eyes blaze with anger. His anger then flashed to the man he'd had the misfortune of encountering the night he fled the castle in a rage. The way he spoke to him…like he was some kind of object who's only useful purpose was as an ornament or a bed mate. His blood burned at the memory. He gripped the rim of the vanity until his hands ached. He exhaled a breath of anger and pain and forced himself to calm down. He shook his head scattering raindrops, and grabbed a second towel and started to towel his hair in front of the vanity mirror.

An angry, useless teen stared back at him. He cursed the growling youth staring. He hated feeling so useless—so powerless—especially when there were people who needed him. How long would it be before he was just another part of their daily routine they'd invented to keep themselves from finally accepting the inevitable?

Even though he'd hated it when he first arrived because of the bitter circumstances of his stay, he'd eventually grown to love the castle and all the people in it. Strange, how'd he found such wonderful sense of belonging in a place he though only existed in his dreams? A comfort and certainty he'd never felt while living in Hawkins Hallow except for his brothers. But they were all trapped here. He was free to leave, but not them. All because of some mad man's revenge.

His repressed anger bubbled. Combined with his boiling disgust, it sent him into such a rage he punched the mirror so hard it cracked like a spider web. He screeched at the stinging pain in his knuckles. Blood leaked over his fingers and the back of his hand. Tiny bits of glass embedded in his knuckles. He hissed in pain and slid to the floor, his towel hanging loosely around his waist. "Shit. Shit. Shit."

"Yami!" He whirled to the side. "Yami, are you alright?" The door knob wrenched open. Before Yami could stop him, Seto burst into the room. His eyes locked on the broken mirror then the teen's hand. "What the hell happened?" Seto dropped to his knees and gently took Yami's hand in his claws. "Yami, answer me."

Yami met the King's worried eyes. So, it wasn't a rhetorical question. "I lost my temper-Ow! Don't do that!"

"I can see that," Seto hissed, angrily. "What the hell possessed you to punch the mirror?" Seto growled looking at Yami's hand. Carefully, he took the glass pieces between his tweezers like talons and plucked each glass piece. Yami bit his lip to keep from crying out. Once all the glass was removed, Seto helped him to his feet and placed Yami's hand in the water basin on the table. Before Yami could ask, the Dragon King dashed about the room, shoving aside various objects and scanning them before moving on to the next pile.

"What are you doing?" Yami demanded.

"Looking for the bottles Duke gave you," he answered without disrupting his work. "The ones you used on my bite? I know you didn't use them all."

Yami opened his mouth to protest but Seto whirled around and gave him such a glare, he silenced immediately. "And don't you _dare _say you're fine. This is not the time to let your pride or your independence get the better of you. You're hurt!" The sincerity in his voice made Yami look away.

"They're in the basket," he said in a low voice. Seto dove to the basket and scooped up a few bottles and some bandages. He gathered them in his arms, dumped them on the table near the vanity. He gently lifted Yami's hand. He bit the cork off a bottle of amber liquid and poured the content over Yami's bleeding knuckles.

"Ah!" The teen screamed at the fiery sting burning his blood. He tried to wrench his hand away, but Seto snatched his wrist.

"Stop, you're only going to make it worse," Seto attempted to mollify him, by placing a hand on his hip. Yami's free hand immediately tightened its grip on the towel, he just realized was the only thing he was wearing, but he was in too much pain to feel embarrassed. He peeked one eye open, not remembering when he'd closed them, just in time to see Seto dry away the liquid and blood with a damp cloth. He gently squeezed each of Yami's fingers, making him wince.

"You're lucky," Seto explained. "You don't have any broken bones, but your knuckles are a little sprained, and the cuts aren't too deep." He grabbed the bottle Yami recognized as aloe and carefully applied the gel to the cuts, the blood staining it red. He grabbed gauze patches and shredded them into strips before pressing each one to a cut then started applying the bandages, but it was difficult with Yami's hair dripping water all over him. "This should be fine for now, but after breakfast I want Duke and Ryou to look at that. Duke might have something for the bleeding."

He brushed his brow with the back of his arm. Yami slid to the floor, looking at his wounded hand and shook his head, scattering raindrops. "Thanks," he mumbled looking at the floor more ashamed of his own actions than anything else. He couldn't believe he'd lost control like that, and in front of Seto, none the less.

"Now," Yami put up no resistance when Seto picked him up and sat him on the table and kneeled in front of him with his arms crossed over Yami's knees. "Do you mind telling me, what possessed you to attack your vanity mirror and actually think you could win?"

Yami looked at him with a mortified frown and shadowed eyes. Drops of water dripped from his damp hair. "I lost my temper. I'm not proud to admit that, but I did."

"I can see that, what I mean is _why_?" Seto asked with concerned, almost guilty eyes. "If I did something to anger you, I'm—"

"You didn't do anything!" Yami cut him off with such force, Seto jumped back. "It's nothing to do with you," Yami's voice softened and he stared at his lap. "I was mad at myself."

"Why?" Seto asked, bewildered. He stood up. Yami hopped down from the counter and fished out a bathrobe and slipped it on. Once it was tied he removed the towel and laid it against the counter.

"I just feel so useless," Yami admitted, wrapping his hands over his shoulders. He strolled over to the window and laid an arm against the glass then pressed his forehead against it. From here, he could vaguely see the kitchen windows. Bakura was already at work lighting the hearth with a snap of his fingers, Ryou sent dishes and food dancing into the air with motions of his hands. Serenity and the boys were already gathering trays and setting them on the tables. Their faces, bright with laughter and their posture and movements, bustling with excitement.

Seto just remained where he stood and stared at him. Yami caught his concern and confusion in the window's reflection. The man remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

"I've been dreaming about this place you know," Yami said without raising his head.

Seto's eyes widened.

"For months now, before I even came here. It was always the same dream. A white castle, this castle, among a field of roses. Every dream's the same, I find this castle and I'm in a field of roses and everything's perfect. I call it my paradise." Slowly, Yami lifted his head and turned to the stunned Seto. "Everything about this place. This castle. Everyone in it. You. It's like…home. I don't think I've ever felt like I've belonged this much in my life. Everyone here… they've been nothing but kind to me. It made me so happy to feel like I actually belonged someplace that wasn't with my brothers. The boys, Mai, Bakura and Ryou, Malik, you: you all accepted me with open arms." He felt himself grow weak and leaned against the window for support. Small tears glittered like rhinestones on his lashes but didn't fall.

Seto felt a sharp sting in his chest at the words. How long had it been when they're positions have been reversed, and Yami was the one comforting _him _in his hour of loneliness. After spending almost a hundred years in solitude and seclusion, worse by his own choosing, how could he not sympathize with a fellow outcast?

"But everyone is trapped here. And I can do nothing to help you break this stupid curse. No matter how much I want to, I can't figure out the 'key'."

Seto's eyes expanded. He opened his mouth to ask, but could only stare. Yami smiled. "I'm not dense, Seto. Even if everyone tries to hides it, I figured it out a long time ago. I just don't know how to find your key. I want to help you all but I'm powerless to do anything. And I…" He stopped and closed his eyes. His mouth formed a line of control. "I hate that." His glare rested on the floor. His fingers curled into a shaking fist "I want to help you and I can't do a damn thing!"

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard, and I cannot _believe _than you're the one saying it!" Seto was across the room and in front of Yami in an instant. The passion in his voice, forced Yami to look at him. "You shouldn't feel guilty about your happiness. Nor should you feel in anyway powerless," Seto scolded. "For God's sake Yami can you not see just how much good you do?"

Yami couldn't answer. All he could do was stare at the hurt, the anger, the sympathy and the passion blazing in those shinning sapphire eyes. Emotions blazed like burning ice, and something else he couldn't quite recognize though it felt so familiar. "Seto." Yami paused. "Be serious, I haven't done that much…"

"I _am _being serious." Seto grabbed is wrist and cut him off. Yami was almost afraid to look at him again, but when he did Seto's eyes had softened. "Do you remember when you first came here? How dead and quiet this castle was? How the day after you came here it was bustling and _alive_?"

Yami shook his head. He'd almost forgotten about that. Had it only been two and a half months? Winter had just started so that seemed about right. But still had so much really changed in such short a time? Was it really so soon ago that he hated this castle and its master?

"Do you know how long it's been since this place was filled with laugher?" Seto said longingly while placing a lock of golf behind his ear. "You've only been here what two and a half months? In that time you've managed to undo over a hundred years of silence and dismay. You've gotten Bakura to behave, Malik to stop acting melancholy. Jaden, Syrus, Jesse to laugh, Chazz and Jim to actually smile and" He paused and leaned closer so their eyes were only inches away. The truth was so transparent in Seto's voice, it almost hurt to listen. "And me swallow my guilt and break my shell."

Just that sentence and the gratitude behind it made Yami's breath hitch. Seeing, how far he and the Dragon King had come since that terrible meeting, it almost made his heart flutter.

"You do a lot more good than you realize Yami. You give everyone hope. Something we haven't had in a long time. And trust me," Seto gently pulled his wrist, but Yami wasted no time in eloping his arms around the taller man. Seto tilted his chin so their eyes met. A smile graced the King's face. "Hope goes a _long _way." He gently stroked the teen's cheek then leaned down to kiss it. A soft, chaste kiss, but it still set Yami's entire body on fire. His hand rose to brush the heated area when the king pulled away.

"I'll wait for you downstairs." Seto winked. Yami was both relieved and disappointed when Seto left him alone to change. He hadn't removed his hand.

Had he really done so much without even realizing it? The thought seemed silly. His eyes wondered back towards the window. From the look of laughter and pride and delight, breakfast was ready. His heart swelled at the site.

"_You give everyone hope." _Seto had told him. The realization made him smile. Hope, it was such a powerful emotion. But how long would it be before even hope wasn't enough?

* * *

(collapses) I was up until 3 in the morning finishing this thing...Originally the segment with Duke was for chapter 14 but i cut it, and didn't have the heart to delete it so, i finally found a place for it. Originally this chap was to include the other segments I had planned out much earlier, and end on a more hopeful/uncertain note, but I decided to cut it in half and all that will be next chap. This was more angatsy than i thought it would be but i'm actually proid of that: like i always say "you only get a happy ending if you're willing to fight for it."

I'm very pleased with the second half of this chap for reasons i want you, my readers to figure out.

I will try my damndest to get the next chap out hopefully next week. I absolutely HATE these one month updates with this story, but as i said earlier, School is being a bigger drag than usual so i thank you all for your patience and support.


	18. Chapter 17: The Courtesan's Warning

I could rant forever about why this took so long and yadda yadda but i know no one cares so I just wanna say: I BROKE MY RECORD! I got this out in less than 3 weeks! Booyah! (wow did I really just say that? Its officially I've lost it...)

Anyway two things: THIS was suppose to be updated SATURDAY night! but FF is glitching and bitching and I had problems with my My Stories feature when i clicked on the story however: Thanks to my awesome friend darkvampire66 who got the way to fix it off LiveJournal so everyone give her a BIG thanks. This chapter is Dedicated to her for that reason. Thank you so much girl you have no idea how much that helped me.

IN YOURF ACE FATE! NOT ONLY DID I GET THIS UPDATES WITH _TWO _CHAPS EARLIER THAN A MONTH BUT I BEAT THE THREE WEEK MARK TWO! The Three Week MArk is Tuesday and its Monday! MWAHAHAHAAHA!

Second: I was a tad disappointed only a handful of people who are my more detailed reviewers (you guys know how you are) got what i wanted everyone to figure out last chap: Last chap was an echo of Chapter 12: The truth behind the Mask, only instead of Yami bandaging Seto and helping him get out of his shell and see his own self value, Seto did the same thing for Yami, which is part of my own personal view of true love being a mutual thing based on mutual trust, help, and understanding, not just passion and emotion. I've seen true love in my own family life and friends and such so I know what I'm talking about, there is a reason i believe in true love and how i can write it as such and I try and make that shine through in my work, so i was a tad dissappointed no one got that.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. Need I say more? Good.

**Dedication: **darkvampire66 for showing me how to fix the Fanfiction problem: When you click on the story you want to update and the error page comes up in the link section where you type the website, change property to content. Thank you SO much girl! I really appreciate it, and as always your one of my favorite reviewers, you and a hand ful of others who always give me detailed reasons of what works and what doesn't which is what I need to improve my work: THANK YOU SO MUCH!

* * *

Chapter 17: The Courtesan's Warning

Fifteen minutes later found Yami downstairs dressed in one of the new outfits Malik had made for him and still struggling to tie his rebellious hair back with a few dark purple ribbons. He'd donned a pair of dark blue pants with warm black boots with furry insides, and spiced it up with a purple sash around his waist like a belt. He'd pulled on a soft crimson turtleneck and over it wore a thick dark purple knee-length duster with black wrists and gold, blue and crimson swirls decorating the back and along the train. He couldn't help but imagine Atem's shock and Yugi's giddiness of seeing him dressed up in such radical combinations. He definitely had to thank Malik when he got downstairs.

The sound of crashing and yelling and Bakura's shouts echoed all the way upstairs, increasing in volume the closer he got to the kitchen. From the sound of it, Bakura had made good on his promises and was attempting to remove the hearth from the wall while everyone else scuttled and scurried in a desperate attempt to follow his commands to the letter.

Yami took a step back just as the kitchen door swung open and servants bulldozed into the dining hall balancing plates of food in each hand and even on their heads and tails if they had them. Others lit candles and opened drapes or cleaned up the spilled food and liquids of gathering large vegetables into their arms and chests to clear the table in the kitchen as best they could. He could help but laugh watching the dark and fair heads dashing back and forth.

Try as he might to stifle his mirth he failed and burst out laughing. All heads turned to him and suddenly he was surrounded by cheering staff members. Jesse transformed and jumped into his arms.

"'Bout time you got here," Jesse smiled, weaving his slender body around Yami's shoulder, making the young man laugh.

"Yeah," Jaden added balancing trays on his head, hands and arms. "Bakura's close to committing murder."

"Sorry about that," Yami smiled, peeling the boys and Serenity off of him. "Is everyone still in the kitchen?"

"Yup," Chazz groaned. "Even Kaiba, hence why we're all out here. It is never a good thing when those two are in the same room."

As if on cue a loud flash like a bolt of lightning and fire, followed by a high-pitched female scream echoed from the kitchen followed a voice Yami recognized as Malik's, then Joey burst into the dining room, slammed the door shut behind him and slammed back against it panting like a man on the run.

"Are you alright?" Yami blinked looking at the disheveled, black-winged blond.

"What's going on in there, Big brother?" Serenity asked.

"World War three." The blond haired dragon slid to the floor, black wings peeked out the back of his Victorian style clothing. "Having Kaiba, Bakura and Malik in the same room is never a good thing, especially if they can't agree on something."

Yami rolled his eyes, and maneuvered Jesse, so he was holding him in one arm, and placed the other on the back of his hip. "What are they arguing about this time?"

"Hell, If I know," Joey admitted. "Something about not eating enough, Kaiba being a bad caretaker, and I think Malik just got tired of listening to them argue and just couldn't take it anymore—which is saying something since he's married to Marik."

Yami sighed and shook his head. He lifted his arm to his shoulder and motioned for Jesse to get on and the fox did so. "Come guys, let's go break it up. Oh Jay," He turned to the teen who was still balancing at least five trays off food despite Syrus' attempt to set them down. "You might want to hold on to those. I have a feeling everyone will be eating in the kitchen today."

Yami held the door open for the boys since the trays were solid. Everyone else phased through, but instantly jumped behind him or ducked when something crashed into the wall. Fortunately everyone was relieved to see the flying object was only a plum. Its skin burst upon contact and its thick flesh hung to the wall with all its might until it finally flopped to the ground with a wet thud.

Bakura stood on the hearth with his bat wings flared to full length. His arms parallel to his spine, his fists balled in rage. Flames licked at his feet every time he raised his voice. Across from him on the table, Seto growled like the dragon he was; sparks of blue and white lightning crackled loudly between his claws. Vegetables, scraps and dishes spiraled in the air every time he flapped his powerful wings. By the sink Malik had reverted to his own spiritual form: a gryphon like armor identical to Marik's that encased his entire body but his head in gold. Gold claws sank into the stone. On the floor Mai and Tea were picking up their skirts and gathering fallen produce into baskets and bags, trying to salvage what they could and scrapping what they couldn't. Duke scrambled to collect bottles filled with plants, flowers and different colored liquids from a fallen cabinet that lied in ruins. On the kitchen table, Ryou sat with one leg elegantly crossed over the other. His arms crossed over his chest, posture perfect, and his eyes closed. His jaw twitched at an impatient angle, and a vein in his head trembled in a vain attempt to stifle his anger.

Finally his eyes flew open, his fists clenched the side of the table and he opened his mouth to scream, until he saw Yami just as dumbfounded by the scene before him as the staff cowering behind him.

"Oh Yami there you are." He hopped off the table and bounced over to him. In an instant and three battling monsters froze in place. Bakura's fire died. Seto's sparks disappeared and Malik transformed back into his spectral form and floated through the table towards him. He stopped just short of Yami, who jumped back, growing increasingly nervous under the tailor's obsessively scrutinizing gaze, like a wolf devouring the site of its prey. It was a few minutes before Yami realized the ghost was admiring his work rather than Yami, himself.

Rolling his eyes, Ryou shoved the tailor away and smiled at his guest. "Did you sleep well?"

Yami blinked then nodded. "Very well, thank you. Of course, I'm starving. So, if our cook and master are done spitting fire, perhaps we can all eat?"

Yami bit his lip until he tasted blood and his cheeks went red from lack of air. It was all he could to keep from bursting into hysterics at the looks on Seto and Bakura's faces.

Bakura recovered first and jumped off the hearth and floated to the ground. Once he landed, his wings folded across his chest and hooked at the shoulder like a cape.

His face remained neutral despite the teen's smirk. Yami's eyebrow rose in annoyance when Bakura scanned him from head to toe and shook his head with disapproval. "So?" The chef asked with a bemused smirk.

"'So what?" Yami cocked and eyebrow.

"Have you moved into Seto's room yet, since that seems be the only place you've been the last week? Bakura said with a mischievous smirk, but it quickly turned deadly. "Cause that is the only explanation I can come with as to why you're never down for dinner, and every time I send Ryou up to your room your never there and all my food goes to waste."

Yami's face went crimson. His eyes doubles in size and his face contorted in horror.

"I swear you weigh less now then when you got here." Bakura ranted before swirling around and looked at Kaiba with a wicked gleam in his eyes and twisted smile. "Seriously, what the devil have you two been doing the last few days?"

"Yami, you're hurtin me," Jesse begged when the frozen teen's horrified hands tightened their hold on the fox.

Smoke flared from Seto's nostrils and he growled angrily. "Nothing you're thinking of, Bakura." His eyes darkened, then glaring at the rest of the staff, who must've been having similar thoughts because all of them were red-faced and trying to hide their snickers. Vegetation scattered across the floor when Tea dropped them, her hands limp at her side her face blank. Mai just laughed and winked at Yami, before setting the basket on the table.

Oh could the boy's face get any redder? "Get your minds out of the gutter all of you!" Yami turned around and exploded in an embarrassed fit. Jesses gasped for air, when Yami's arms slammed him against his stomach.

"Yami, what happened to your hand!" Ryou ignored him and grabbed the bandaged object. "Jesse, why didn't you say anything?" the white-haired man scolded the fox.

Jesse squirmed out of his arms and flopped to the floor as a solid human, "'Cause I was trying to breathe."

"What happened?" Bakura joked, "Someone get to rough in bed?"

Seto exploded, but before he could pound the perverted chef, someone else's fist slammed into his jaw and sent him howling and crashing to the ground.

"Ow! Shit!" Bakura howled then whimpered when his screams caused his jaws to twitch. His hand flew to tenderly nurse his large, angry wound.

"Shit!" Yami screamed shaking his bandaged hand and jumping in pain until the boys grabbed his arms and forced him to calm down long enough for Ryou to look at his hand.

"I guess that answers that question," he shook his head and forced Yami to sit down on the table so he could unwrap the bandages. "So you always hit with your left hand?"

"Yes," Yami mumbled more embarrassed than angry and hissed every time Ryou brushed his fingers.

"Hey, what about me?" Bakura moaned, in weak betrayal. "I'm your husband!"

"You deserved it!" Ryou scolded.

Even Seto snorted at that remark, much to everyone but Yami's surprise.

"Ow," the teen hissed, loudly causing Ryou to jump back.

"Stop fidgeting!" Ryou scolded him like a child, and ordered Duke over, who scrambled to carry the abundance of bottled in his arms, before finally disposing of them on the table.

"That hurt!" Yami growled in a weak defense. Already Syrus, Jaden, Jesse and Chazz curled up at his sides in their small, cuddly, physical forms.

"Just remember," Seto curled around his side and smirked. "If you hold still it won't hurt as much?" he mocked. Yami shot up and glared at him, recognizing his own scolding.

"How'd you hurt your hand like that anyway?" Syrus asked, once Ryou had removed all the bloody bandages. Jaden shied away from the bloody mess, and covered his face with his tiny, green hands.

"It was an accident," Yami blushed again and looked away.

"You accidentally cut your fingers?" Tea asked with a skeptical eyebrow. "I find that hard to believe."

Yami growled at her but said nothing.

"Oh leave him be, all of you," Mai gently grabbed the seamstress' arm and ushered her husband and sister in law towards the other side of the kitchen where at least they could sit down and had more space. "You too, Malik we have work to do."

"Not yet," Malik protested. "I wanna hear this one." he turned a glare at Seto.

"What did I do?" Seto demanded bemused.

Yami rolled his eyes. "Seto didn't do anything, Malik. I punched the mirror in the bathroom. That's how I cut my hand."

"You punched a mirror?" Tea laughed, mockingly.

"Shut up!" Yami shouted, and jumped to his feet, knocking Syrus off his lap and Ryou into Malik, who caught him as he fell. "Yes, okay? I lost my temper, for a reason that was no one's fault but my own. I punched the mirror. Cut my hand. Seto bandaged it up for me. Happy?"

He smirked a bit when the girl shrank away from him, until he noticed everyone's eyes glued to his side. Before he could ask, a wet sticky substance dripped down his fingers. He grimaced and looked down. Just as he suspected, blood oozed out of the lacerations on his knuckles.

"Here," Duke grabbed a bottled of strange black liquid and grabbed the boy's free hand and dragged him out of Seto's grip and towards the sink, drops of blood rained dripped from his fingers leaving a gruesome trail. The boys followed him, jumping over Seto to do so, despite his rants.

"Give me your hand." Yami obeyed and did so. Duke gently grabbed his wrist and held it over the sink, before ripping the cork off the bottled with his teeth and spit it out.

"You might want to bite or hold on to something," Chazz warned in a grave voice.

Yami gulped. "Why?"

"Because if that is what we think it is, it'll sting something wicked awful." Syrus shuddered.

Before Yami could ask further, black liquid dumped all over his fingers. Yami's scream broke an octave. Fire and glass forced its way through his veins. His skin bubbled under the contact and the blood froze so quickly crystals like shards of glass dug into his skin. The sting was like a ferocious flaming whip against his bare skin. He screamed so loud everyone covered their ears. His entire body contorted and thrashed in a vain attempt to escape it. Seto grabbed his limbs to keep him from moving about too much. Duke kept vice-grip locked on Yami's wrist pinning it over the sink. Yami was still screaming after Duke cleaned it away and started bandaging the fingers back up.

When his voice went hoarse, Yami wobbled a bit. Seto's arm wrapped around his waist keeping him steady. Huge chunks of air burst from his lungs, so long and ragged he couldn't close this mouth without bursting out in a fit of coughs. When Duke finished with the bandages, Yami wobbled back and landed against Seto's chest.

"See," Seto said light-heartedly. "That wasn't-" he was silenced by an elbow to his gut.

"If…you…finish…that sentence…I swear…I'll…" Yami threatened in a low voice until it became too much and he coughed violently. "Punch you." He choked out, bracing himself on the table, trying to avoid the worried eyes of everyone in the room.

"What the hell was that?" Yami demanded.

The botanist put the cork back on the bottle with a smirk. "Old family recipe. Pure liquefied yarrow and distilled alcohol. Hence the sting," he juggled it in one hand. "Stops the bleeding cold, and burns away any infection that might've crawled in."

Yami grimaced, scowling at his bandaged hand. "Well, I believe the burned part." He grumbled.

"Just don't go punching anymore mirrors and you'll be fine." Duke winked.

Across the kitchen Tea snorted. "I can't believe he was dumb enough to punch glass in the first place." She ignored the glares and growls sent in her direction and continued fixing a kettle of tea.

Yami's jaw twitched to a scowl, he stepped forward to yell at her, but was blocked by Seto's arm. "That's enough, Tea," he scolded, firmly. "Everyone is prone to fits of anger. You yourself, if I recall, tend to be quite vocal during your fits. It's rather hypocritical for you to scold a person for doing the same thing."

To Yami's surprise, the girl stopped. Her lip quivered and her eyes widened, then he face dropped to floor with shame. Unable to say anything else and with her head down she bowed and grabbed a towel, then removed the kettle from the stove. She walked passed them with her head down, but it didn't stop her from glaring at Yami as she walked by. Yami rose an eyebrow in annoyed confusion.

"Well I certainty won't do it again, if that's the cure," he joked, as Tea walked by. "I think I'd rather deal with another one of Rebecca's  
wedding schemes then go through that again."

At the word 'wedding' and a foreign name the room spun towards him.

"Be pardon?" Jesse asked; he, Chazz, Syrus and Jaden all looking at Yami with confused eyes with a hint of fear.

"Rebecca," Yami closed his eyes and grumbled to himself forgetting everyone in the room. "Damn, I have been away from home too long."

"Who's Rebecca?" Yami's eyes snapped open at the firm anger in Seto's voice. His narrowed eyes matched the expression along with something else Yami found curious: possessiveness. Was he not stuck in such a position Yami would've smiled and teased him for it. But he knew better. Besides, he and Seto promised to be honest with each other.

"Yami," he was distracted by a tug on his sleeve. Syrus, who resumed his spectral form, fidgeted nervously. "Is Rebecca your lady?"

After a short spasm, Yami was positive his heart had stopped. "Of course not!" He exploded without thinking then mentally kicked himself when Sy and the boys jumped back. He gave them a small smile in apology for the misunderstanding. Hearing a possessive and impatient growl behind him, Yami sighed and turned his body to the right. The look on Seto's face demanded he explain.

"She's a childhood friend of mine." Yami looked Seto in the eye and kept his face neutral, wanting to see Seto's reaction before doing or saying anything he might regret later on. "Or at least she used to be."

A wave of jealousy Seto only now just realize was bubbling inside him suddenly relaxed, alerting him that it had been there. Seto's stomach flopped in an emotional puddle of happiness, anger (mostly at himself) guilt, relief, possessiveness and sheer stupidity. _What was I thinking? _It took all his will to keep himself from visibly scolding himself for his own arrogance. Hadn't he and Yami just agreed to be honest with the other? Who was he to act so possessive of a teen who technically wasn't even his? The realization sent a painful jolt through his gut, but he wasn't naïve enough to admit to something he knew wasn't his decision to make.

Again he kicked himself. Of course, the girl was probably a friend of his. Time had blended together for so long, he almost forgot Yami wasn't from the castle. He had a home. And a family. And a possible relationship Seto had dragged him from. _No. _He corrected himself. _He'd have told me if he had that_.

"What happened to her?" Jou beat Seto to asking.

Yami sighed. Without a word, he scooped Chazz, Jaden and Jesse into his arm and motioned for them to get on his shoulder. Then grabbed two plates and started putting whatever looked edible on the table onto them. Before Seto could ask him what he was doing, one of the plates was thrust into his clawed hands and Yami had grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the table with everyone else.

"Alright, everyone get comfortable," Yami ordered lazily. "It's a long story and I haven't eaten a thing since last night so I'd rather not wait until it's over to eat something."

"Oh no your don't!" Everyone jumped at least two inches in the air, even Seto, when Bakura suddenly roared back to life from his perch by the hearth. In the span of a few seconds, his wings unfolded, he flew across the table, seized Yami by the arm and dragged him back towards the hallway conjoined with the dining hall. The boys barely held on by the might of their tiny claws.

"All of you! In the dining room now!" Bakura thundered, pointing to the dining hall. Everyone scrambled to their feet. Seto backed against the door and grabbed Syrus, pulling him next to him and out of the chaos.

"Bakur-" Yami began to protest but the cook gave him such a terrifying and forceful look he is silenced immediately.

"I did _not _slave over that stove all morning to see all of my food go to waste. _And _I swore I'd put meat on those scrawny bones of yours if it was the last thing I did, so you get your bony little ass in there and start eating." He shoved Yami inside. He almost stumbled at the force.

"Bakur-" Seto began, but was silenced when he and Syrus (who Seto was still holding) received a similar treatment. "No buts!" the cook thundered. Furious eyes turned to the rest of the staff who scrambled and tripped over each other to follow.

"Yami can tell you about what's her face during breakfast." He slammed the kitchen door closed once everyone was out.

* * *

"Talk about letting fame go to your head." Jaden laughed setting a food crusted plate on top of the small stack accumulating at his feet. He'd retired to his spectral form shortly after everyone started eating but left his tiny, white wings out so he could sit and levitate cross-legged in the air.

"That's an understatement." Yami chuckled sliding the knife through the small stack of chocolate chip pancakes like they were butter. Instead of his usual seat at the opposite head of the table, he'd sat next to Seto, albeit to his right. The rest of the staff sat awkwardly in the remaining seats eating away listening intently to the story.

He felt a tad bad for them. After all, proper etiquette demanded the staff not dine with the Masters, especially given their respect for Seto. Yami, of course, insisted against such things, but then again he was a guest. It'd be just as unfair to demand them to go against what they'd believed for so long. In this case, however, he assumed they were more afraid of Bakura rather than proper etiquette. Yami shivered each time the Cook checked to make sure he was actually eating this time. True to his word, the cook watched him like a hawk. Of course, this led to another glaring contest with Seto, but Yami decided to ignore it.

"The worst part was that the day right _after _Atem and Yugi leave, Rebecca invited herself over, showed up in a wedding dress no less, and all but demanded that _1 _ask _her _to marry _me_!" he chuckled darkly, grimly recalling the event. He had to admit it felt good to talk about his home life with someone other than Seto for once. Even if it was about his least favorite person. "And that wasn't even the worst part."

"What was the worst part?" Ryou asked with earnest curiosity, choosing to ignore Bakura's staring contest with the storyteller.

"The worst of it was that after I threw her out of the house, I found out she'd not only expected me to say yes, but arranged an entire wedding to take place that afternoon on my front lawn!" His voice was dangerously low, and his hand shook so hard the food fell off his fork.

"Wait," Jou interrupted. "You mean she planned an entire wedding without even asking you?"

"No," Mai choked. "She planned an entire wedding expecting him to say yes." She couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out laughing.

Malik snorted loudly before finally dropping his laughing head into his folded arms. "Oh my Ra, that is _priceless_!"

Chazz snorted, disgusted. "No, it's arrogant. Who did she think she was?" He angrily stuffed a few spoonfuls of eggs in his mouth.

"I'm with Chazz," Jesse snapped. "What a harlot!"

"A Harlot?" Syrus blinked, bewildered by choice of words. Even Yami contain his laughter at how innocently the boy asked the question. It reminded him of Yugi's face when he asked Atem where babies came from.

"It's a high class prostitute." Jesse answered without thinking. He didn't even flinch when everyone turned to him with darkly raised eyebrows. "What?" he shrugged. "I asked Jim, once."

"I thought that was called a courtesan?" Jaden asked.

Yami opened his mouth to answer but was surprised when Tea beat him to it. "Yes and no, what Jesse is thinking of is a whore. A courtesan is different. It was one of the few career options for women that were available at the time, especially for high class woman reduced to poverty for whatever reason. Usually they were well-educated and were artisans and were given luxuries and status in exchange for companionship. How far that companionship went depended on the employer. They were entertainers more than anything else." Yami blinked at her extremely detailed answer. The tone spoke of someone well rehearsed in such affairs. The elder staff members from Bakura, to Jou to Mai to even Seto wore grim faces. Ryou and Malik wore faces of possible expectation but no confirmation. Serenity and the boys looked just as confused as he was. She stared at Yami for a moment so brief no one would have seen it unless they stared at her longer than a minute. Her hard eyes dared him to question her further, but he caught the hidden message in them.

Catching the masked bitterness in her tone, Yami asked carefully. "Why do you say that?" He met her eyes though out of the corner of his eye, he caught Seto's neutral mask.

She put the cup down. "I used to be one." She sighed.

"I thought you were a seamstress?" Yami corrected. All eyes suddenly turned to the brunette with a cross between shock and curiosity. She looked disturbed, almost angered. For a moment Yami feared he stepped in uncharted territory but the woman just sighed frustratingly and explained. "I _used _to be one. How do I explain this…Yami, you're read that book Syrus made, right? About what the kingdom was like before the Kaiba family took over?"

Yami nodded.

"Well, believe me, it was a lot worse than what the fairy tales let on. Especially in those monsters' court. Everyone else around them were like dogs begging for bones." She growled. "Anyway, my mother was a member of the court who'd been a favorite of the King and his courtiers if you catch my drift. She raised me to be a courtesan."

"And you were alright with that?" Yami interrupted, incredulously.

Tea smiled, partly from disgust, and cupped the side of her face with a delicate hand.

I had no reason not to be. It was every little girl's dream: getting to wear pretty outfits, having a lot of servants, live a life of luxury and status, get to dress up and go to parties all day like a princess. Around the world a courtesan was a well-educated, independent woman of free morals, trained to dance and sing, and then you got to live a life of luxury just to be a man's companion. I'd always loved to dance and I loved clothes and I was always made good conversation, it seemed like an enjoyable profession." She gripped the handle of the tea cup so hard, drops splattered. "So you can imagine my horror, when my mother explained to me what _kind _of companionship the men of that particular court wanted." She didn't need to explain; he already knew the answer. Yami felt a shudder rung up his spine as the seamstress continued.

"Having no desire to chain myself to such a fate, but not wanting to give up my dream, I change my profession to seamstress. Unfortunately, before I could pursue such, my mother, may she rest in peace while she's burning in hell, dragged me back to court in hopes that the old prince or some favored lord of the old king would take an interest in me and increase her own place at court."

Yami flinched at the bitter sarcasm darkening her voice. "That's repulsive." He said in disgust. Having been raised by his mother who was arguably been her husband's better half and ran the business, he'd been raised to see men and women as equal in every way regardless of the culture, and to never insult a good woman by caring out the practices of other countries who suppressed them. "How could a person do that to their own daughter?"

"It wasn't as uncommon as you think." Seto covered Yami's hand. The teen just now realized he was standing. "Depending on the monarch, Court life could be a game of survival. Most people have no problems sacrificing their morals if it means earning some type of security."

"Then why don't they just escape?" He protested. "Leave and never come back, instead of risking losing everything trying to please a lunatic, stay away and keep your family safe."

Tea laughed at him. "That might have worked for your family, but it's not as easy as you think. A lot of people don't have the opportunities other people do."

"She's right, Yami," Mai added. "My mother was a courtesan. Her only hope for me was that if I was pretty enough, the prince would marry me and make me queen. Never mind the fact that he was already bedding anything with a skirt that would have him." Mai gave an independent laugh. "So you can imagine her horror when I eloped with the Maitre de of all things."

"Hey, you said you loved me?" Jou teased her, faking hurt.

"I wouldn't have gone through that hell and back to marry you if I didn't," Mai teased, twirling his blond curls between her sender fingers, and gave a seductive wink.

Yami couldn't help but laugh at the sight, before returning to Tea, whose mood hadn't softened. "I hate to ask this, but what happened to her? Your mother, I mean." Yami asked, carefully.

Tea shrugged. "After the revolution I never saw her again, and I didn't care either. Once the new monarch took over I was freed from court, but my chances of becoming a seamstress were slim since I'd have to learn the entire profession from scratch and I was too old for a proper apprenticeship. That and despite my time at court the castle was my home, so I decided to stay."

"That was how I met her," Seto chimed in without thinking. "I took her to the tailors' ward and made her Mai's apprentice."

"That was kind of you," Seto flushed when he found Yami smirking at him.

"That's our Master." Jesse agreed. Jaden, Chazz and Syrus all nodded.

Yami had to agree. Even as Seto grimaced and dismissed the staff with a bark Yami caught the smile in his bright blue eyes. He laughed, irking a growl from the Dragon King.

"What's so funny?" Seto asked more embarrassed then annoyed and handed Tea his dishes when she started gathering them up.

"I just find it very ironic," Yami teased and gently shoved his leftover jam covered biscuits towards a drooling Jaden. The Kuriboh barely got one in his mouth before Jaden plucked him off the table by his wings and dragged him and Jesse off the table and back to the kitchen. Syrus chuckled and followed.

"What's that?" Seto asked; his eyes shifting double-checking to make sure they were alone. Bakura glared at Yami's half-eaten plate then screeched when Ryou grabbed his wing and dragged him back inside.

A teasing smile slit Yami's face. "That you act all tough and intimidating, when you're really just a big softie."

Seto dropped his fork.

Yami couldn't hold back anymore and laughed so hard he lost his grip on the table and fell out of his chair. He laughed until his sides began to hurt. He clenched his side with an arm to stifle the pain and banged the other fist on the ground. He didn't stop until Seto pounced and landed in front of him. Yami almost jumped out of his skin. Especially after Seto kneeled over him and pinned him against the side of the table with his claws. A devious smirk in his eyes and a wicked fanged smile flashed in Yami's direction.

"Don't do that!" Yami snapped, furiously. His face flushed with anger when Seto started laughing.

"Now, when did you get so jumpy?" Seto teased.

"Since you decided to take it upon yourself to scare the wits from me." Yami's eyes lit up recognizing the game, but unyielding to surrender. Using his smaller size to his advantage, he carefully and slowly wove himself to the left then fakes right, then slid under Seto's left arm and made a dash—only to flop over when something yanked on his ankle.

Too late Yami realized his mistake. Before he could move, Seto's tail yanked him backwards and he landed on his back and Seto pounced on top of him. "Now where do you think you're going?" The Dragon King kneeled over the teen until their foreheads touched.

"Uh…" Yami flushed at the contact and bit his lip trying to regain control of the situation. "To help clean up?" he blurted in an obvious last ditch effort and flashed a guilty-innocent smile.

He shivered when Seto's smirk curled into a devious smile. "Na-ah, my little captive. You've insulted me. You just be punished for that."

Yami opened his mouth to question further but the words were chocked by an explosion of pearly laughter, and the vibrations sent up his sides by the strokes of Seto's claws. His hands shot to stop them, but Seto's tail grabbed his wrist and pinned it to the floor, pinning him also. Another fit of giggles and pleads erupted from the teen.

Seto smirked at his captive and felt himself laughing also at the sight. His knuckles grazed up and down Yami's ticklish sides; he refused to use his claws in case he hurt Yami. A sudden joy filled him every time Yami laughed, whether it was from the play or just in general.

"Seto…please…I can't breathe," Yami chocked through fits of laughter.

Seto laughed but shortened his attacks to give his captive more room to breathe. "Just apologize and I'll stop."

"Do I have too?" Yami whined half-panting, half-laughing. He got his answer when stroked one of his sensitive sports. "Okay, Okay, I apologize."

"Un-uh," Seto waved one of his claws in a 'tut-tut-tut' motion. "You have to say it the correct way."

"Oh come on," Yami whined, with tears in his eyes from the play. Instead of tickling him, Seto leaned forward, and wove Yami's free hand with his claws then kissed him chastely on the lips. It was short and brief, but the intensity of it galvanized Yami's entire body. He barely felt Seto pull away, but when he did and Yami was suddenly thrown back into reality, he felt strangely empty. "Alright, I'm sorry I insulted you," Yami finally conceded. "Now can you please let me up?"

"See, that wasn't so hard now, was it?" Seto teased, and sat up, releasing Yami. Normally, Yami would've been annoyed to the bitter end at the arrogance of the teasing, but surprisingly he found himself comforted it by it. Comforted that the playful tone was reserved for him and him alone. He laid there for a few moments before finally getting up and started gathering bowls sticky with leftover juice, yogurt stains, plates with bacon grease, leftover egg yolk and toast crumbs, and utensils dripping with syrup onto his plate of half-eaten pancakes and gathered them up.

"You know that's the staff job right?" Seto smiled, getting to his feet.

"I think I'll give Ryou a break." Yami winked and started to the kitchen before Seto could stop him.

The Dragon King just shook his head. He was tempted to tease him with the speech Yami had given him but decided it would be better not to threaten his independence. He sighed as he watched Yami disappear, finding things strangely lonely without the teen. The growing familiarity between them was new and refreshing. It suddenly hit Seto then that never once did Yami look at him with fear or disgust. He, a dragon of all things.

All those times they'd fought, Yami'd been angered, curious or even hated him, but never once was he afraid of him, or disgusted by him, or shudder at his appearance. The first time they met, he could see the boy's shock, but he once the boy confirmed that he knew The Dragon King, Seto assumed it was from the terror and excitement that he was actually real and not just a character in Yami's favorite story. The realization made his heart jump in ways it never and before. Like it never wanted to stop beating. It confused him, but at the same time, he felt happier then he'd ever felt before.

* * *

Yami was surprised to find the kitchen empty when he entered it. He shrugged and dropped the dishes in the sink where the rest of the breakfast plates were soaking beneath the soapy water overcrowded with bubbles. He took of his jacket, laid it on the back of a chair and rolled up his skin and fished around for some cleaning gloves. Nothing worse than wet bandages.

He was actually surprised how advanced the sink was considering how old the castle was, but then again it was mostly because of the castle's hot water system. He pulled on the gloves, grabbed a wire brush and started scrubbing. The heat leaked from the water through the gloves, steaming each time he removed one of the soap-sudded dishes.

They weren't too hard to clean, given how long they'd been soaking. Once he'd scrubbed them clean and rinsed them up, he sat them on the rack to dry, and started humming to himself. He surprised himself, especially given dishes had been his least favorite chore growing up—every time he and his brother's made a bet the losers had to do the winner's week of dishes. Maybe it was because of the giddy mood he was in? Maybe it was because of how much things between him and his captor—though he hardly viewed him as that anymore—had grown? Maybe it was because the murky blue water reminded him of how happy Seto's laughing eyes had been?

Recalling another set of eyes the same color, his mind drifted back to his dream the previous night. They were coming more frequently than normal, and each time they seemed even more real. His chest tightened, remembering how close he came to suffocating when he was swallowed by darkness. His ankle ached at the memory of that beast sinking its claws into his flesh. He shuddered at the memory. Even the pain felt real. He closed his eyes and tried to remember his savior—the dragon that turned out to be his dream lover. The man with eyes so blue and deep just one look and all he wanted to do was fall and never come back up. An adoring smile curled across his face, and he sighed longingly. Was it possible to be so attracted to a figment of the imagination when he was already falling for someone else?

Cerise eyes flung open; a terrifying thought suddenly filled his mind. That was the first time he'd ever admitted the possibility of having feelings for his captor to himself—while thinking of someone else…What if…what if the only reason he was attracted to Seto was because he reminded him of his dream lover?

Yami shook his head and mentally smacked himself several times for his idiocy; extremely grateful he was alone. _That's ridiculous, if anything the reason my dreams are increasing so much is _because_ I like, Seto…_ He froze when he realized what he just said and braced himself against the sink, his fingers clenching the silver tightly. "Damnit." His head flopped forward. "That has to be it. It made sense." Didn't the dreams about the dragon start _after _Seto had saved him from that monstrosity? And hadn't that dream of the dragon saving him which involved him turning out to be his dream lover take place _after _he and Seto shared their first kiss? Aren't dreams supposed to be the manifestations of our unconscious fears and desires? "What am I going to do?" he asked himself.

"That depends. What is it you're trying to do?" Yami whirled around at the familiar voice. His eyes narrowed when he found the seamstress standing in the doorway with her arms crossed over her chest. Judging by her shrewd eyes, hard posture and firm hands she wasn't hear for chat. Her clothing matched her personality: the beads of her dress were sown in strict patterns, her stitches never faltered; even when she walked her movements were clear and graceful. He'd never seen or known her outside the tailor's circle but having known her better, even if they'd never talked, he couldn't deny how perfect she was. Perfect like Atem was and like his mother had been, perfect had he been young and vain he'd have despaired.

"What do you want, Tea?" He asked sharper than he intended. He pulled the glove off his good hand first, then his bandaged one and tossed them somewhere on the counter.

She approached him with graceful, carefully crafted distrust and absolution in her steps. He didn't shrink away as he approached, and he didn't slouch either. Determination made him just as strong as she.

She didn't stop until she was face to face with him. To his annoyance they were the same height. "I want you to stop what you're doing if you're not going to admit it."

He hadn't expected that. "I beg your pardon?" He blinked, bewildered.

Anger turned her eyes reddish brown. "If you don't feel anything than stop acting like you do!" Her anger sounded desperate, Yami fidgeted when she moved closer.

"Tea, what _are _you talking about?" he demanded, shoving her away from him. "Where is this even coming from?"

Her hands clenched. She didn't answer immediately. "I'm not foolish, Yami. I can see the signs, long before I became a courtesan I was taught to read emotions. You're feelings are clear as day."

His face contorted with horror at what she told him. Was he really that obvious? When he himself wasn't even sure about his feelings?

"What I'm saying is, if you're not going to admit them or act on them then stop it!" she demanded, almost desperately. "I'm grateful to Kaiba for all he's done to me and I won't see him hurt."

Red suddenly clouded his vision then green. How dare she speak to him like she had a right to tell him what to do? How dare she practically try and force him to reveal his personal feelings to someone who wouldn't respect them. He didn't care if she was jealous; he'd been used to irking envy from others for all the unwanted attention he got from Rebecca. No, what infuriated him was how she acted like _she _was the only one who had the right to any say.

"How dare you!" His voice was dangerous and defensive, anger burned in his own eyes. "You have no idea how I feel, and absolutely no say if I do or don't. Either way it doesn't matter, it's between me and Seto. It doesn't concern you!"

The girl visibly twitched when Yami used her master's real name. He didn't regret the threat but the way she flinched made him reign in his temper. Living with Seto, had taught him arguing didn't accomplish anything.

"It is my concern!" Tea protested. Yami paused when her eyes flashed with pain. A pain he's seen so many times in the eyes of everyone he'd grown close to. "Kaiba, when he's with you…he's happy. Happier then he's been in a long time. And I do mean that!" she shied away from him, her hair falling over her face, her hands writhing and her body shaking. "Everyone else may not see the danger in that, but I do!" When she looked at him again there were tears in his eyes. The sharpness of the pain in her eyes, made him flinch. "He's already been hurt enough. He can't take anymore. And I'm not going to stand here and watch this fall apart if it doesn't work. So if you care for him in anyway, then either tell him or stop this all together!"

Her words were like a cold whiplash to his side. His earlier jealously made him want to throttle himself for his arrogance.

_She doesn't want, Seto. _Again he wanted to kick himself. _She afraid I'll hurt him. But…_ He paused and looked away from her.

"I can't do that, Tea." He said firmly. His tone held no room for argument.

The girl's face plummeted. "Why in God's name not!"

"Because I'm not going to admit how I feel blindly nor am I going to stop them from progressing when I have no right to do so," he snapped, sharply.

"What do you mean you have no right?"

Yami stood firmly, then turned and braced himself against the table, his eyes hidden beneath the shadow of his bangs. "Because there is nothing official between us, either of us. I'm not going to burden him with my feelings, especially if I have no idea how he feels about me."

He stared back at her with firm eyes, daring her to argue. She didn't. Instead a long pregnant silence, thick and tense, passed between them. For a moment, Tea's face was blank but her eyes were calculating, and shrewd. Reading him for any signs of doubt of hesitation. She found none, but it didn't ease her worries, and she would not take the risk. He may not have known it, but this boy—compared to her advanced age, with or without the curse; he was a boy—had the power to either save them or damn them. It all depended on his heart. And she knew better than anyone the fickleness of the young hearted.

"Just,' she finally whispered. "Just answer me one question." The fieriness in her eyes and voice matched is. He paused at the serious tone in the seamstress voice. "Do you love Kaiba?"

* * *

And the Queen reigns supreme (leans back on her throne)

Originally, this chapter, last chapter and the next chapter were suppose to be one chao but 1: WAY too long and 2. The cliffhangers were just too good to pass up! Also I HATE the title for this chapter so if anyone has any suggestions i am ALL ears!

My main motif for this was to give everyone else more of a role, not just Seto and Yami since they;re not the only characters. I never thought Tea would get such a cameo but a year ago this came to me one day while i was working and it just played out in my head and it worked so well, I just wrote it down; it was the perfect way to make her more of a 3-D character. Also i got to introduce and revisit more of the staff members who haven't been seen in a while etc.

The transition for this chap was a bitch to do, especially since I had to connect all the segments i wrote out already: I think my favorite is the one of Seto, Malik and Bakura on the verge of world war three and Bakura hauling everyone's ass into the dinning room for breakfast before Yami can quash everyone's fears about Rebecca. XD Over all-bitch to write but i LOVE how it came out.

As always, read, review, critique, ask questions, let me know if anything is confusing or out of place, etc.

**Courtesan:** a well-educated and independent woman of free morals; eventually a trained artisan of dance and singing, especially one associated with wealthy, powerful, or upper-class men who provided luxuries and status in exchange for companionship (this does not refer to sexual activities): This is true, we did a whole segment on it in my history of the city class during the early 19th century; women who were often forced into prostitution did so because they were forced to, or had no other education or skills to do so, and they had other means to support their families. Even if a woman was dishonored, like she had premarital sex and was unmarried or had been seduced they were shunned and they needed some way to support themselves. A courtesan however, is a companion, not a prostitute, whether or not the relationship was sexual was entirely between the employer and the courtesan though most often they did act as mistresses since marriages in the period were often arranged.


	19. Chapter 18: The Heart Speaks

Two-chapters. That's right TWO CHAPTERS IN ONE DAY! WOOHOO! 19 pages this and chap 17 were together and i was up until 3:56 finishing it and decided to split them. I am so beat!

I was actually tempted to just post the previous chap and make everyone suffer with that last cliffy but since FF has decided to join the conspiracy against me and the previous chap was SUPPOSE to be up SATURDAY NIGHT. I decided to a merciful Queen of Plot Twists...besides (evil grin) I thought I'd soften the blow before the evil twists that are yet to come...Mwahahahahahahahaha! Long Live The Queen!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing-i really don't have the patience to do a long, detailed one.

As always read, review, critique, comment, ask questions, conerns, etc. etc. Go nuts.

* * *

Chapter 18: The Heart Speaks

Yami froze at the question but wasn't surprised by it. He remained firm, his eyes telling the women without words he was more serious than he'd ever been. "No, I don't." He admitted; the words were like a stab to his hurt, but he wasn't going to lie to himself.

Tea's face fell but before she could question further, he answered her unasked questions. "I do, however, care for him a great deal and I know he cares for me. And I trust him, and respect him, and if there is a chance we can make something work between the two of us, I'm more than willing to take that chance. I don't know if there is or how deep my feelings are. But, I want to try, I want to know. I…I've never felt so drawn to someone before, and I _want _something to come from it. I'm just not sure if it will." He tried to keep his voice steady but his emotions chocked his voice, forcing him to stop. He looked at the ground refusing to meet her eyes.

He shot up when he heard her giggle. His first desire was to yell but her face made it impossible. Her eyes were so wide and fluttering with glowing, hopeful tears, her cheeks were wide and smiling, her laughed rich and pure and her smile earnest and happy. Yami didn't know if he should be insulted or shocked. His jaw dropped anyway.

"That's, that's all I needed to know," she whispered through tears. "But Yami," she advised. "You should still tell him that, or at least give him a hint. Men are truly very, very foolish, they never act on their emotions and they can't read people's minds, especially their lovers. It's a miracle the human race has survived so long with them in charge."

Yami's jaw dropped, his turned as red as a strawberry. "We're not love-"

"So," she cut him off. "You have to make the first move, or at least let him know it's alright to so, and for the love of God,_ be_ careful and don't jump too fast."

Yami blinked in confusion. "I'm sorry?"

"You know," Tea sighed like an overprotective mother. "Don't do anything too fast. I know how difficult it can be for people to control their urges. I made my living testing those urges, and I know people tend to act on them without thinking. But rust me when I say, from experience, both the relationship and the means are much better if they're given time to build."

Yami's eyes widened in horror, his jaw dropped, red dusting his face. He covered his mouth and turned away hoping she wasn't implying what he thought he was. "I don't know what you're talking about." He said nervously.

Tea rolled her eyes, and placed her hands on her hips. "Look Yami, you can't hide these things from me, it used to my profession: I can tell just by the way you act, the way you walk and even the way you speak, that you're virginal, and I can also say with absolute certainty that you've probably never even been in an actual long-term relationship. And in that case, I don't want either of you two to rush anything just because you're both overcome by passion. Believe me, it's so much more meaningful, not to mention enjoyable, if it's done at precisely at the right time instead of spur of the moment." She smirked, before giggling at the teenager's reaction. "My God, you are a virgin aren't you?"

Yami's eyes bulged out of his skull. His entire face went cerise. "That's none of your business!" he yelled mortified and appalled by his own nervousness.

Tea exploded in laugher. "I thought you weren't ashamed of your body, Yami?" she teased.

The furiously blushing teen growled. "I'm not! But I wasn't talking about that!"

Tea just shook her head and smiled before vanishing through the adjacent door. Yam finally collapsed against the table and held his head in his hand and groaned. "Well, guess there's no turning back now."

* * *

Seto froze in the shadows of the hallway. His mind on the fritz struggling to process what he'd just heard. He'd come straight to the kitchen when Yami didn't return, strangely finding the place too quiet without him, thinking of ways to convince his captive to join him outside for a tour of castle ground, which looked quite lovely in winter. But when his strong ears caught wind of the argument between said captive and his seamstress and he'd arrived Just in time to hear her ask that one question…

His heart sank like a stone when he heard the teen say "no". It affected him more than he thought it would, even considering he had no right to claim the teen as his own. But the addition to his response, the clear desire and hope in his voice, the determination…it sent the side of him so secret Seto even kept it from himself, the sides that longed for his answer to be yes, into a surge of exuberance so fierce it galvanized every nerve in his body.

A mixture of relief, excitement, pride, dread and confusion swirled in his stomach when Tea had said Yami was a virgin—and the young man's flustered, incoherent response was more than enough evidence to prove the theory true. He wasn't naïve enough to assume he had been Yami's first relationship but it stunned him that he hadn't enjoyed the pleasures of lovemaking. Then again, it had been a hundred years, perhaps the cultures had changed? He doubted it, but then again given the teen's personality, he shouldn't have been surprised. Regardless, he was both pleased and dreaded by the new information about his charming captive.

As arrogant and selfish as he knew it was, he felt a surge of pride that his captive hadn't been taken by a women or even another man. That he was still pure and there was a chance to make him his and his alone. It sent a surge of lust and desire through him but he slammed it into submission with the force of a sledgehammer. Yami was a virgin, which left Seto, not him, at the disadvantage. He knew he'd be lying to himself if he denied his feelings for the boy had been growing more and more each day. It was almost impossible to call them anything else, but what they were and what they meant—that was the mystery. The same mystery that required the same amount of patience, respect and trust he'd need if he hoped to pursue a relationship with his captive—something they both seemed to want. Even if neither of them said it out loud, the signs were there.

He couldn't deny how familiar and natural it seemed being around the boy. How easy it was to smile, even laugh in his presence when he'd keep his emotions stoic in the presence of anyone else, even his staff with the exception of a select few. Of course, that still brought to the fact that his captive was a virgin, and if Tea was right had never pursued a true, romantic relationship. He recalled his previous encounters quite well, many of which thought short and had ended on good terms, still progressed rather fast and quickly turned sexual and mutual for both parties until they moved on to other lovers. That wasn't what Yami wanted, and thought Seto refused to admit it to himself, he didn't want that either. Just the thought of one night with his captive was too much to bear. The thought of that fiery spirit laughing for anyone other than himself sent a fire of jealously and possessiveness through him.

Maybe that's all his feelings were: lust and possessiveness. He couldn't deny his captive was beautiful, more so than anyone else he'd encounter in his 120 years. Beautiful, fiery, spirited, fiercely independent and extraordinarily clever, and not to mention self-sacrificing. And one of the kindest, devoted, and most caring people he'd ever met. He loved life and enjoyed every moment of it. Had he been born a hundred years earlier, his father would've considered him the perfect Queen. No, it was more than lust that attracted him to Yami. Much more.

"Seto?" The Dragon King nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of his name. He whirled around, whipping his wings and tail behind him, and found the very man who had been consuming his thoughts not a few seconds ago standing behind him.

"Y-Yami?" he stuttered, appalled by his own lack of control. Fear and horror at being caught eavesdropping surged through him. "How long have you been standing there?"

Yami blinked.

Seto growled. "Don't bat those big eyes at me how long have you been standing there?"

Yami rose an eyebrow of anger. "Actually, I just left the kitchen. Why were you listening to me?" He asked in an accusing tone, marred by his own inner fear.

Quickly, Seto composed himself, and cleared his throat. "Actually, I was looking for you. I wanted to know if you wanted to join me for a walk around the castle. The grounds are quite lovely in winter."

Yami eyes lit up. "Actually, that's perfect!" He grabbed the dragon's arm and dragged him with impressive strength through the castle and down to the boiler room, despite his confused protests. Before the stunned Dragon King could question him further, Yami was already pulling on his boots, fur-lined leather gloves, coat and hat.

"Now just where are you off to in such a hurry?" he smiled but flinched when Yami answered with a devilish grin right in the entryway to the outside. Seto could already hear that crazy horse of Yami's neighing for attention.

"_We _are going outside,' the devilish grin widened when he clasped Seto's hands again and started to drag him out into the cold. "But instead of going for a walk, I thought we could play in the snow like a couple of toddlers."

Yami laughed at the stunned bewilderment causing Seto's eyes to bulge, his jaw slack in surprise. Her paused however, when he noticed Seto's lack of winter wear. "Aren't you cold in that?"

Seto blinked, the stared down at his attire. His black pants stopped at the knees where the ends were shredded from years of behind worn over the thick scales of his legs, He wore no boots. His purple trench coat had the sleeves torn open at his elbows, allowing his spikes through. The stitching of a large light blue dragon sitting on a flower embroidered the back while blue, lavender and green flamed licked up the tail. His own tail moved independently between the creases in the coat.

"No, I'm fine." Seto assured him. "I'm a dragon. My body is naturally a lot hotter than a normal human's, and if I'm exposed to cold weather it'll naturally get hotter to counteract it. It's not dangerous or anything. I'll be fine."

Yami nodded and rushed through the white slush, stomping the snow with a loud crunch. Seto blinked before Yami whirled around and teased. "Catch me if you can, Seto Kaiba."

Seto's eyes lit up at the challenge. "My pleasure." He extended his wings and took to the air. An explosion of white met him when he flew into the clearing outside. The sun was high and bright through the white blanket of clouds. Snow freshly powdered the hills a crisp white. Snow crunched beneath Yami's boots, and the trees were already cakes in layers of snow and icicles. Seto landed with a crunching thud against the snow and meticulously scanned the hills and trees that spotted the clearing for the black mass that was Yami's coat.

When he found none, he decided to change tactic. He carefully walked towards each hill, each tree, careful not to betray his location. "Here kitty, kitty, come out, come out where ever you are?" If that didn't spike Yami's temper nothing would.

"Don't call me that!" Yami jumped out of his hiding spot behind a tree thicker than his width in a huff. Too late he'd realized he'd fallen for the trap.

"Got you!" Seto took to the air a flew towards him.

Thinking quickly, Yami ducked the ground and gathering to handfuls of snow and slammed them together then jumped to his feet. The action confused Seto, until Yami pulled his arm back as far as it could, the snow ball still in hand-aiming right for Seto's face.

Quickly, Seto repositioned himself so his feet were in a bracing position and flexed his wings like a parachute but it was too late to stop the blow. Yami hurled the snow ball forward, with all is might. And hit Seto square in the face, sending him reeling backwards and flopping on his back on the snow.

When his mind finally registers what he's just done. Yami's eyes nearly bulged out of his skull. He stood frozen staring at the fallen body of the Dragon King, sprawled out like a crucifix, snow covering his face. He didn't move, even as Seto struggled to sit up and shook his head shaking crusts of snow from his face. Nervous ruby eyes met annoyed and aggravated ice blue.

Uh…" Yami paused unsure what to do. It was too hard to keep himself from laughing.

Then Seto snorted. "Oh-ho, you're going to get it now." Seto rearranged himself to his knees and gathered a huge pile of snow in his hands, forming a large globe of snow.

"No!" Yami laughed and panicked and started running as Seto chased him. He ducked behind the tree when he threw a smaller snow ball at him, not wanting to waste his huge one. Seto smirked and chased him around the tree, pressing his back against one side. Yami hidden on the other side. On cat's feet Seto maneuvered himself for the perfect sneak attack. "Got" he jumped, only to find his victim gone. "What?"

"Boo!" Yami playfully shoved Seto's back, causing the King to jump and loose his grip on his prize. Snow pelted him in the head and rained across his body. Yami laughed so hard he grabbed his sides. "That was perfect!" He laughed.

Half-growling at being defeated and half-laughing from the play, Seto rolled over, dusting snow from himself and moved to pounce. Yami ducked to the ground, causing Seto to fly over him and land in a nearby snow bank. "You have to do better that, Seto" Yami winked before running off again.

Seto growled, but unwilling to lose the game, continued the chase. "Are you sure you're not a cat? Your certainly maneuver like one!"

"I'm sure!" Yami called climbing up a snow bank and slid down the side. He moved to run the second his feet touched the ground again, but instead his foot slipped and sent him crashing back into the snow bank.

"What the?" he mouthed bewildered. A shiny, jagged, slippery surface formed a large mismatched circle with a clear sheen. "I didn't know this place had a pond." He looked around curiously.

"Why yes, we do." Yami jumped and bolted around. Seto sat perched like a gargoyle a top the hill. Remembering the chase, Yami started back across the ice. He got maybe two feet before his boots finally slipped from beneath him and he landed hard on his bottom. He hissed at the pain and rubbed the abused area. Regardless, he got to his feet and started again, but it resulted in the same result on the second time, he stumbled and ended up falling forward, with only his hands to break his fall.

Seto just smirked. He slide down the hill with ease and walked across the ice like it was solid ground, much to Yami's shocked bewilderment, once he'd rolled over and moved into a half sitting position braced on his back hands. His stunned, nervous eyes met the smirking ones of the Dragon King. The Dragon King swaggered towards his victim, placed his hands on his sides and leaned forward slightly so he was more level with Yami. "It seems I have the advantage now, Kitten."

"That's not fair!" Yami slid away, trying to get to his feet again. Seto had to admire his persistence.

He offered Yami a hand, which the teen reluctantly took. He gasped when Seto pulled him to his feet and he crashed against the dragon's warm chest.

"Hey!" Yami only half complained.

God, Seto couldn't get enough of that sweet smile. Yami couldn't help but blush at the adoration in those lovely eyes. They didn't need words to express what they wanted or how they felt. All they had to do was feel and move. So they did. Yami moved his arms so they were around Seto's neck and stood on the tips of his toes to better match his height. Generously, Seto wrapped his arm around Yami's waist pulling him closer and leaned down so their foreheads and noses pressed together. Ruby and Sapphire blazed with so many emotions: confusion, nervousness, support, trust, passion. Both too proud to speak, too bold to resist, too nervous to take the next step on their own. So they did it together.

They both closed eyes. They both leaned forward. Their lips brushed then met at the same time, sweet and unhurried. But it wasn't enough. They wanted more. Yami leaned forward as much as he could. Yami pulled Seto closer against him and pressed his lips deeper against his. Seto obeyed and pulled him closer, deepening their kiss. It deepened and lessoned on its own accorded, never once losing its sweetness. It was a battle of will or dominance. It was a mutual desire. An equal pushing and pulling of their emotions and heart strings, a joint longing for the other in more ways than one: that's what they were, what they wanted.

When they pulled away, they were still dazed. Still holding the other tightly, trying with all their might not to lose the moment.

Only when reality dragged them back into its clutches did they finally understand what they'd done, but unlike before they didn't pull away.

But the nervousness returned in full force. Yami bit his lip and looked away. Seto set him down, his expression much more somber.

"Seto-I-" Yami began, unsure how to put everything into words. "I…I've never…I mean…I don't know what to do, but," he paused unable to meet Seto's eyes. "I want to try. I want to see if something will happen." He said firmly, and waited.

The silence was short but the tension was like a thousand needles piercing his body. Finally, Seto lifted his chin in one hand and stroked Yami's cheek delicately with the other. His smile was small but his eyes were rich with trust and something else, Yami couldn't quite place. "I want that to," he whispered. "I want that more than you could possibly imagine."

Yami's eyes widened shocked at what he just heard, but the nervousness hadn't left his eyes. Seto read his fears, and kissed his cheek. "We'll go slow."

"Agreed," Yami smiled, widely then surprised Seto by jumping into his arms and wrapping them tightly around his neck. Seto stumbled back before regaining his balance, and laughed wrapping his arms around the teen. Their eyes met again before they broke out in laughter.

"Have you ever danced on the ice?" Seto asked.

Yami shook his head and laid his cheek against Seto's chest. They weren't sure how long they stayed out there, basking the snow, simply enjoying the other's presence. They didn't know they'd acquired an audience.

Jim could only smirk as he watched the scene from the roof of the stables. Above him, staff members crowded at the windows for a better look or flooded the balconies. They didn't notice the giddy looks and squeals from the staff mates or the groans of other who'd lost bets, or were missing the action. Nor did they noticed the narrowed green eyes watching them from the woods, already forming a devious plan to ensure this was indeed their last kiss.

* * *

Another evil cliffy-rest assured if any of you can pick up on the hints in this chap ALL THIS is building up to something BIG! can anoyne guess what (evil grin)

Cause i'm curious to see what you say...

I actually had a different plan in mind for while Seto and Yami were in the snow based off the scene in the movie Belle's Enchanted Christmas, but decided against it when I had too much writing them playing in the snow: and it WAS fun to write especially given how hard I fought to finish this chap: Yami pelting Seto with the snow, Seto landing on his butt, chasing Yami, again landing on his but. Yami's turf in the snow, Seto's in the winter, I laughed so hard when I had Yami slipping on the ice. Over all I loved how it came out, a nice humorous break from all the angst and enough fluff to make all you're prideshipping yoai-loving fangirl teeth rot...and a nice way to make you all completely underestimate what's to come...Heeheeheee...Like I said above Long Live the Queen of Plot Twists.

Also I have three projects coming up in April and May so despite my efforts, this story's deadline is now Memorial Day weekend-hopefully. Anyway, that said, fanfics will be slow while I do research and work on my original novel for my Editing and Publication class so wish me luck and thank you all for the wonderful feedback, critiques and support. I love you all ^-^


	20. Chapter 19: The Shattering

I didn't want this to be another month update but it seems my history paper and school was conspiring against me! But I accomplished my goal this spring break and got Frost King and Dragon Rose updated! Woohoo!

This chapter was tricky cause of the flow and turned out much longer than I thought, but I'm proud of it. I got the time flow going, and I answered the question of what's been going on with Rebecca and Yami's siblings.

This is a two-part chap actually, the second part, I'll get done as soon as I finish my two projects for school. So it should be up within the next two weeks (my goal is before my finals. until then enjoy.

**Dedications: **Mitzumi, for the conversation that got me past the block I had with this chapter, and for being an awesome beta! Thanks girl!

**Disclaimer: **Yugioh and all its characters belongs to Takahashi (who is my ultimate hero); The plot was based off the Disney movie and the original Fairy tale which was written by a French writer (see past disclaimers) I do own the events in this chapter and Yami's outfits (though the one in this chapter was based off an outfit in Holly Black's Valiant)

* * *

Chapter 19: The Shattering

"Rebecca, you know I would never question you, but you have completely lost your senses!" Miho tripped over her skirt, and struggled to keep her balance.

"I need him, Miho, for my plan to work. He may be strange, but he's the best." Rebecca dashed down the alley way, her form shrouded in an expensive cherry cloak.

"The man is a child-broker for God's sake! And he terrifies me! Please Rebecca tell me why we're doing this!" The maid shivered pulling her cloak closer to her body. A tremor of fear not cold rushed through her. Her heart skipped beats radically each time she gazed at the all too familiar alleyway.

"I told you Miho, I will have Yami as my husband and if I must take drastic measures to make him see sense, I shall." Miho flinched when Rebecca turned around and glared at her. Harsh green eyes burned with determination and desire. Miho bit her lip to keep from speaking and kept her head down.

She refused to look up when an all too familiar building came into view-the building where the Child Broker did his business, safe from the law, safe from anyone who would dare tell him otherwise.

She struggled to keep up with Rebecca's pace. The Duchess stormed up the steps and bounded on the door harshly, screaming demands to be let in from the rain.

A call that the door was unlocked was all she needed. Hastily, Rebecca turned the lock and grabbed Miho dragging the reluctant girl inside. The two women stripped their soaked cloaks and took their seats in the two plush armchairs. Rebecca shook her long hair, scattering raindrops everywhere. Miho took her seat and meekly kept her hands folded in her lap.

After an abnormally short wait a tall man stormed into the room. He shed his own coat and hat, and hung them on a nearby coat hanger, revealing a long mass of straight silvery-gray hair, so abundant it covered one of his eyes. The other brownish amber orb shone with annoyance, but with the pale laughter of a child.

Miho shivered and kept her eyes focused on her lap. Rebecca sat up straight as the man took a seat behind the desk and sat with his hands folded in front of him.

"Good evening, Master Pegasus. Thank you so much for coming out at such an hour to see us." She flashed a bright smile and spoke in a voice of fake appreciation.

Pegasus's face remained neutral. "Please don't play me false, Miss Hawkins." He groaned with annoyance. "I don't very much appreciate being forced to leave my orphanage in the middle of the night."

Expecting this, Rebecca removed a small sack from her pocket and dropped it in front of the man. Gold coins and jewels spilled from the opening.

His one eye scrutinized the contents then returned to the duchess. "I'm listening."

"I can tell you're a man of simplicity." Rebecca smirked. "So I'll just get straight to the point. You're familiar with the Mouto brothers correct? I believe your services were required after the unfortunate death of Solomon?"

The man nodded. "My services were not required at all. Atem was beyond legal age to adopt his siblings and neither boy was a child," he groaned, at the statement of the obvious.

"Well you see, the middle child, Yami, he's far too selfless, God Bless him. He refuses to see that his siblings are holding him back from his potential, his future, and when I offer him his heart's desire, he refuses me."

"Oh really?" He cut her off and drew out the word in a mocking manner. "I heard of your arranged ordeal. Are you sure it wasn't your decision to arrange an entire wedding on his front yard mere moments before you all but demanded he propose to you?"

"It's his fault! If he wasn't so naïve, I wouldn't be forced to take such drastic measure—" Rebecca jumped to her feet; enraged that he'd speak so frivolously of her humiliation. Quickly, she composed herself and returned to her seat, clearing her throat.

"Not that this isn't humorous, Miss Hawkins, but I fail to see what your failed courtship with Yami-boy has to do with me," Pegasus joked in a playful tone.

Rebecca's hold on her fan clenched but she her reigned in her composure. "I want Yami as my husband, but so long as he believes his brothers are in need of his help, he won't leave them." She smirked. "You're aware of young Yugi Mouto's health condition, correct? His chest problem? I heard his last attack caused his heart to nearly stop. Such a sick child needs proper care, not to be a burden to his two brothers who have no knowledge of medicine, don't you agree?"

"Yugi-boy is far from a child. Under-aged, perhaps, but he's what 13? He'll reach manhood in less than three, four years. And both Temy-boy and Yami-boy know the remedy to sooth him, from what I've been told. It would be a waste to put Yugi-boy in child care."

"Perhaps, but everyone knows Yami would do _anything_ to protect his brothers. Even perhaps, make a deal to keep his younger brother from being taken away from Atem, if Atem was rendered unfit to care for him?" A sinister smirk crossed the woman's face. Miho's face contorted with horror as her eyes flew to her mistress. A shiver racked her entire body a she gazed at the menacing smirk of victory on Rebecca's face.

"Perhaps," Pegasus replied, twirling a gold coin beneath his fingers. "But then again there is also the problem. From what I've been told, Temy-boy's done a stand-up job raising both boys and makes more than enough to support them. I doubt there is anything I could say or do that would convince the town taking Yugi-boy away from him would be in their best interests. And I _do _care for my reputation."

"Atem is unfit!" Rebecca rose to her feet again. "Yami has been missing for almost two and a half months with no word of him. And not a week after they supposedly left for a trip to the Art Fair, did he and Yugi come screaming and pounding on my door in the middle of the night, ranting and raving about how their brother had been kidnapped by a dragon? A dragon, of all the ludicrous things! It's been well over two months and all they've done is go back and forth in those woods and repeat this tale to anyone who would listen to them. Ask anyone? I thought they were only jesting at first which is why I waited so long to come to you but now, I'm convinced Atem has lost his sanity and he's spreading it to his brother!"

Pegasus rose a brow at this new information. "Really now? A dragon? Are you sure? I have heard rumors of people becoming lost in those woods. Perhaps what they found was the old monarch's castle. Of course, the monarch hasn't ruled nor had a regent in almost a hundred years so it must be abandoned by now."

"It matters not," Rebecca snapped, slamming her fist against the table in an unladylike fashion. "The point is, if Atem is insane, he can't raise Yugi correct?"

Pegasus' face remained neutral. "I suppose, but before I make any final judgments, I'd have to see for myself. Are Temy-boy and Yugi-boy at home this evening?"

"No," Miho said softly. Her body shaking and her eyes focused on the ground, knowing if she looked at him her voice would break. "We stopped by this evening to see, but their shop was closed. It looked liked it hadn't been opened in weeks, and there was only a sign on the door saying they would be going into another town to seek help. It did not say when they would be back."

"You see?" Rebecca continued. "Now he's taking Yugi on a wild goose chase when he should be searching the woods for my fiancé!" Realizing she was still standing, Rebecca cleared her throat and sat back down like a Queen on a throne. Her fan folded in her lap and her posture perfect. "So, Master Pegasus, now do you understand my proposal?" Wicked satisfaction shined in her green-eyes and her lips curled into a smirk.

"So Miss Hawkins," Pegasus blinked, then pinched the bridge between his nose. "If I understand you correctly, you wish for me to declare Temy-boy an unfit guardian and threaten to have him arrested and Yugi-boy confined to foster care until he is deemed fit to live on his own, unless Yami-boy agrees to marry you?"

"That is precisely what I mean." A smile slit Rebecca's face.

Pegasus threaded his fingers through his silver strands, his elbows braced on the table and his face a mask of discomfort. "Oh Lord in heaven, that's despicable. Truly repulsive," His face vanished behind a curtain of hair until a low, maniacal chuckle escaped him. His face emerged shocking both girls. It was the face of a mad man. "I love it!"

* * *

The next few weeks pasted by in a blur of bliss for Yami. Winter had settled in nicely over the valley. Snow filled the world, deeper and deeper. The trees and gutters of the castle towers glittered with icicles. Windows glistened with frost, and the ponds and streams had frozen in sheets of ice. With the approaching frost, the house was busier than ever.

Bakura Ryou kept the staff busy gathering enough food for the winter months and enough coal and wood to keep the manor warm and alive. Duke checked his herbs every day, waiting for the right moment to pick them. The glass greenhouse created the perfect setting: baked and bright from the sun, but shielded from the wind and snow. He'd already salvaged most of the garden flowers and had begun surprising Tea everyday by giving her live flowers for her room or dried ones to use for her dresses, to which she was delighted to use. Much to Yami's chagrin, Malik decided he'd need a new wardrobe for winter and a punishment for the outfit he'd ruined. Despite Yami best efforts to hide in his room and his friends to distract Malik, the tailor was persistent. Every morning he'd drag the protesting man kicking, screaming and clawing to the sewing room. Once inside, Yami was practically stripped to all but his undergarments, hoisted up on a pedestal and thrown into more outfits than he could count. In an ironic twist of fate, it was Tea who smiled at him each time she gave him a new outfit to wear for the day and managed to distract Malik long enough for the boy to escape.

Sadly, the boys were of little help to his desperation. As the Servant of Decorum, preparations for winter kept Syrus distracted. He had to make sure all the old fur blankets and carpets were removed from storage, all rooms that weren't used and therefore not heated were sealed, the summer mesh curtains were replaced with thicker velvet ones to keep the cold from seeping in; the boiler, heaters and fireplaces could only do so much. Fur carpets soon filled the bed rooms and lined the hallways, blocking the cold seeping through the floor. Jesse's job was worse. Though he and Jim had already relocated all the animals to the stable within the castle next to the heater, Jesse now spent all his time keeping the place as clean and dry as he could. Shoveling snow, mud and hay, changing the freezing water and refilling the food, and cleaning the mud from their hooves: was a full time job. The worst of it had to be keeping Phantom and Shirley out of trouble. The thick snow meant Phantom couldn't run and was forced to remain cooped up. Shirley was no better off. Spirit or not, Jim never let her out of his sight, and she disliked entering the castle, despite Jim's insistence. The only thing that eased her boredom was Yami's visits, which he did so every day to make sure his beloved horse was strong and to give him some minimal exercise. Phantom, of course, had not been pleased with the bizarre creature's attempts to steal his Master's attention and promptly punished her by making it impossible for her to sleep, and getting minimal kicks when she frustratingly stomped around looking for the source of the strange sounds that kept her awake at night.

Zane, whom Yami still had yet to meet, worked his two remaining friends to their last wits. Often, Jaden would collapse in Yami's room, grimacing and grumbling about the unfairness that Chazz always got to run off and tend to Seto's room while he got stuck holding down the fort everywhere else. Strangely, whenever Yami asked about Zane, he got little answer. Only that his eyes were silver, like Syrus's, but were sharper and that he scowled more. More than once, Jaden panicked and feared that Zane had discovered their secret and was keeping him and Syrus busy on purpose.

Fortunately, the work had all been completed much faster than it had been in previous years, for one reason and one reason only: the insistence of the Dragon King himself. Unlike past years, where's he'd keep himself locked in the confines of his room, Seto had taken an unusual and almost frightening control over the winter castle. Between him and Zane the work load had almost doubled but was faster and more efficient. Even Yami hadn't escaped helping with the preparations, though he was more than happy to partake already. Especially, since it gave him—and Seto it seemed—an excuse to spend more time together.

The drawback was that Yami couldn't so much as enter his own room without being bombarded by curious eyes and exuberant smiles dedicated to learning just how far the relationship had transpired to the detail. Fortunately, this ended one evening when Seto, out of Yami's line of sight, gave the entire staff such a glare that they scattered and finally agreed to keep their curiosity to themselves; however, that didn't stop Yami from blushing every time he saw Bakura smirk, the boys smile, or Mai and the girls giggling. Even the guards, Marik and Tristan's faces held some sort of inside knowledge.

By the time preparations were finished and winter had settled into January, Yami found himself looking out his window like he had three months prior on the night of his capture and smiled blissfully. So much had happened. So much had changed. He barely recognized himself in the faded reflection smiling back at him in the widow.

"Though that might be all these clothes, Malik keeps forcing on me," Yami chuckled, sat down on his bed and pulled on his new boots—big, black, heavy leather boots, that were much warmer than his old riding books. He'd also selected a sleek black sweater printed with a flaming heraldic lion, white pants with gold streaks for seams, and a heavy black coat that swept his ankles with red and gold flames curling at the hems; the ones on the tail curled into streaks that bled into the fires surrounding the symbol of a flaming heraldic lion on the back. Yami swiftly rolled up the cuffs, exposing the gold fabric beneath, and flexed his now free fingers.

He didn't bother waiting for an escort. Once dressed, he descended to the dining room himself. When had he learned to navigate the castle so easily? Halfway down the stairs he hopped on to banister and slid down; landing with a smile hadn't felt in a long time. When was the last time he felt so giddy? He wondered, then again, he couldn't really recall when he'd stopped viewing his stay as an imprisonment, either.

The dining room was just as lively as he'd left it. The thick open curtains let warm sunlight spill through the glass. The air was heavy and warm. Dried flowers formed lovely center pieces on the table and the table clothes had been changed to a lovely green one covered by white lace. Glory-of-the-snow, Firethorn, and Winter Jasmine formed bouquets in the corners and pine branches on the window sills gave the room a pungent, minty scent. The only thing absent was the feast Bakura usually prepared each morning. Instead, only one side of the table was set with dishes and utensils, mugs filled with hot chocolate replaced wine glasses and the food consisted of a bowl of fruits, a plate of biscuits with jam and butter, and a bowl of hard-boiled eggs.

Curious, Yami peeked into the kitchen and smiled when he found Bakura passed out with his back against the hearth, snoring loudly. Ryou curled up at his side, covered by one of Bakura's enormous wings. Yami smiled. "I'll let them sleep." He tiptoed back to the dining room. "No wonder this place is so quiet, everyone must be exhausted."

"You can say that again," Yami jumped at the sound, but relaxed when he spied the Winged Kuriboh sitting proudly in Syrus's lap at the end of the table. Syrus sipped from one of the hot cocoa mugs, carefully. Small white bandaged wrapped around his raw fingers, and his cheeks were flushed from exhaustion. His normally firm posture was slouched. Even his clothing, which he normally wore in perfect completion, was rushed.

Jesse sat across from him, spreading a heavy amount of marmalade on a biscuit. His hands and face were clean, but the hems of his jeans were wet with mud, splotches of dirt speckled his shirt and mud caked his boots. His dark blue hair fell into a ragged mess about his shoulders and his eyes were heavy and red-rimmed from sleep deprivation.

"You two look awful," Yami commented and sat down. "When was the last time you three slept?"

"Last night," Syrus gave a weak smile. "We're alright, we're just over worked, but it's alright. We've never been done this early. Normally, we have to work the whole winter. It's nice to be able to relax for once."

"Yeah," Jesse yawned loudly, then joked. "In a few days we might even blink again." Yami chuckled at the humor. "Where's Chazz?"

"He's with Kaiba," Jaden answered stuffing a hard-boiled egg into his mouth.

"And where is Seto?" Yami asked, pulling out a chair and fixing himself a plate, until he felt something warm and leathery wrap around his shoulders and waist, making him yelp.

"Why don't you ask me?" The Dragon King spun his captive around.

Yami pushed against Seto's chest to keep him from smothering him and gave him a playful look. "I thought you were hiding like everyone else was?" Yami peeked over the King's shoulder and found Chazz, fixing his new ice blue winter frock while balancing a tray of dirty dishes in one hand. Dust speckled his pants and his hands were raw, most likely from cleaning.

Yami sipped free from Seto's grip, took the tray from Chazz, and set it on the table. "Worry about that later, you look just as tired as everyone else."

Chazz nodded, sat down and started sipping a hot chocolate.

Seto turned to Yami and frowned. "Have you eaten at all this morning?"

Yami snorted. "I was going to."

Seto sighed and gently urged the boy to sit down. "It's no wonder Bakura always rants about your health, Yami. You have to remember to think about yourself once in a while." He gave the young man a small smile, and brushed his cheek.

Yami blushed at the affection and gently brushed his hand away. "Alright, alright." He compromised and returned to his plate. But instead of sitting down he rose his forefinger in the universal sign for 'but'. The king arched and eyebrow at the gesture, and studied the other's smile for any sign of mischief.

"But only if you join me." Yami winked.

Seto exhaled a breath and smiled. "As you wish." He bowed elegantly to humor him and took his position at the head of the table.

"So, is there anything you need to finish today?" Yami asked, peeling the shell off an egg. All four boys—Jaden had resumed his spectral form to join in the conversation—shook their heads.

"None that I am aware of," Seto replied and met Yami's pleased expression."Do you have anything in mind?"

"Well, I thought maybe we could all go outside today, since everyone's been cooped up all winter, and it looks like we got snow fall last night." Yami suggested with a bright smile. He turned to the outside. The wind was calm and the sky was clear, allowing the sun to shine making the snow sparkled like shimmering lights beneath the sun. Through the peeks of the bare trees you could see the faint image of a large lake somewhere in the background.

"Actually, that sounds wonderful." Seto agreed and nodded. His heart flipped when Yami's smile brightened considerably.

"Perhaps we could even go ice-skating?" Syrus mumbled shyly, unsure if he should be intruding or not.

"Ice-skating?" Yami asked, curiously.

Syrus and Seto both opened their mouths to answer, but Jaden jumped up excitedly. "Sure! We can show Yami the lake in the forest. It's right on the grounds and it's more than big enough to everyone."

"And we still have all of our skates," Jesse added then looked at Yami quizzily. "Do you need ice-skates?"

"I'm sure Malik has some somewhere," Seto said, getting up and offered his guest a hand. "Shall we?" he teased knowing Yami disliked chivalry. Yami rolled his eyes but humored him and took his hand. A second later he found himself wrapped in Seto's arms and tail.

"Then that settles it, we're going ice-skating. Are you four coming?" Yami asked.

"Yes." They all said at once. Chazz practically jumping out of his seat.

"Finally, we never get to have any fun during this season, heehee," Chazz said giddily. "I'll get my coat."

"I'll get the skates, they're in the boiler room," Jesse jumped over the table and was off like a dash.

"And we'll be back for lunch, right Sy," Jaden swooped over to Syrus and picked up bridal style, making the smaller boy yelp then laugh. "Someone has to make sure you don't eat everything," Syrus teased.

"I'll go get my winter coat," Yami unwound Seto's arms from around him and made a dash for the hall before Seto's tail could grab his wrist.

Instead, however, he walked right into a hard metallic surface. He jumped back and groaned from the pain in his nose. His glare shot up then froze when he met eyes as cold and domineering as Seto's the first time he saw him: strong and sharp like hard, gray stones amplified by his shrewd expression and commanding features. Midnight blue spikes cascaded down his back in perfect waves, not a hair out of place. The darkness of the locks made his frosty skin pallor. Metallic silver armor with shiny blue jewels covered every inch of his body from the neck down, even gauntlets and metallic wings and, much to Yami's chagrin, he had a good three two inches on him. Stuffed under his arm was a thick leather folder.

Behind him, Jaden practically dropped Syrus in shock. Yami peeked over his shoulder when he heard Syrus land with a thud and a yelp, just before the two of them vanished behind Chazz's black and white wings. Said teen casually leaned back against the table with a vacant expression, but the apprehension in his eyes oozed guilt.

The man's eyes hardened instantly, glaring right past Yami. If the gray eyes and blue hair were any indication, then the trio's reaction was all the confirmation Yami needed. He cleared his throat, bringing the man's attention back to himself, straightened his spine, and offered a welcoming smile. "You must be Zane. I don't believe we've met. I'm Yami."

Zane's expression hadn't changed, though his eyes flashed with surprise. He gave the teen a small smile. "You must be our quest then. I apologize. Nice to meet you officially, Master Yami."

Yami flinched at the title, but said nothing. He opened his mouth to speak again, but the man walked past him, his attention focused on Syrus who Jaden was helping off the floor.

"Are you alright?" he asked with suspicious eyes. "You seem nervous."

"Yes, Zane I'm fine." Syrus flashed a quick smile. But Zane's eyes were no longer on Syrus; they'd shifted to the man holding him. Jaden visibly stiffened under the older man's intense gaze, sweat pouring down his brow, as he tried to smile.

"Actually, we were going to go ice-skating as soon as we gather our things." Yami interrupted.

"You and the Master?" Zane asked with an arched eyebrow then turned to the four boys. "Well, I don't think we'd want to intrude."

"Actually," Syrus interrupted with an angry twitch in his eyes. "Yami invited us. Since we've all been working so hard, we thought everyone would enjoy some time outside; and like he said, as soon as we gather our things we're leaving. The Master's joining us."

Yami's eyes widened with pride at Syrus's sudden confidence, he gave him a wink. Syrus thanked him with a smile of his own then happily grabbed the still stunned Jaden and a bewildered Chazz and dragged them towards the hall. "We'll meet you outside Yami."

Yami chuckled and followed, before turning to Seto. "Are you coming?" He asked mischievously.

"Of course," Seto smiled and moved to followed but Zane interrupted.

"Actually," His voice lacked the confidence it had earlier. "That's why I'm here." He removed the folder from under his arm and handed it to Seto. "These need your signature."

Seto cursed, flipped through the file and groaned. "Why am I just getting these now?" He demanded, annoyed.

"They weren't finished until now," Zane answered without flinching. "I had to make sure all the castle's finances were up to date and to do that preparations had to be completed first."

Seto groaned in annoyance then turned to Yami with an apologetic look. "I'll meet you in my office," he dismissed Zane. Zane bowed his head and left.

Yami exhaled a breath when he left. "I can see why Syrus and Jaden were so nervous about telling him. Zane's more intimidating than you are."

Seto chuckled. "He has his moments, but you're right. For Zane, respect is earned only, never given or inherited. It's one of the reasons he has so much influence. He's phenomenal at his job, which, unfortunately, has just as much negative consequences as positive ones."

"Like right now?" Yami asked, disappointed.

"Unfortunately, I _am _the Master of this castle. Nothing can be done without my approval, but don't worry." Seto leaned forward and kissed Yami's forehead. "I'll join you later. I don't want you to waste your day waiting for me."

"You promise?" Yami asked assertively.

Seto smirked, and leaned forward so their lips were only inches apart. "Have I ever broken a promise to you?"

Yami teased him by pondering. "Do you really want me to answer?"

Seto's face fell. "Go get your skates."

* * *

"I don't know why I bother," he complained rubbing the sweat from his brow. "Damn icicles just refreeze in the morning."

"If you did that they'd be too big to knock over," Yami reminded, tying the saddle onto Phantom's back. "Stop fidgeting! I know you're excited, but the longer it take me to tie this down, the longer it'll take for you to get out of here," Yami told the horse. The stallion immediately stiffened.

"Are you sure we won't need any more horses, Yami?" Syrus asked, feeding a cream colored Appaloosa mare with silver and black speckling her legs and hindquarters, oats from his hands; Jaden tied the saddle to her back. "I know the Master prefers to fly but…" he bit his lip, subconsciously.

"He'll be alright Sy," Jim assured him by ruffling his hair. "He's like me, in our true forms we'd do the horses more harm than not."

"Besides, Seto flies so fast he'll probably beat us there," Yami added, checking the saddle to make sure it was secure then climbed onto the horses back. Phantom could barely contain himself and was already itching to run, but Yami pulled on the reigns to keep him steady. "Whoa, boy, we gotta wait for Chazz," Yami reminded then chuckled when the stallion snorted, impatiently. Chazz climbed clumsily onto the stallion's back and yelped when the horse moved purely to tease him. Yami flicked his nose. "Jeez, Chazz, and you teased Syrus?"

"Hey, it's not my fault! I never needed to travel much, it wasn't my job," Chazz scolded, holding tightly onto Yami's waist, expecting to fall off any minute.

Syrus laughed and took Jaden's and climbed onto the mare. He wasn't experienced enough to ride on his own just yet. Jesse had already donned a chestnut stallion with a black mane. Jim opened the gates and the horses ran with a flick of the reigns. Behind them, Jim transformed into his winged spectral form covered in gold skeletal armor and flew overhead on skeletal wings guiding them through the woods.

The white world flashed around them. Hail from the morning froze like lucid, solid skins over everything they touched. Trees were encased in sparkling ice; snow caked their branches, making them sink. The snowy trails were muddy and grooved from the prints of horseshoes. The thunder of hooves, the falling clumps of snow, and the rustle of pine echoed in the endless forests. Everything seemed frighteningly familiar, though Yami knew he'd never been on these trails before. The dark waters of the lake arose over the hills. The horses slowed down seeing the approaching water and stopped on the shoreline and let their riders descend, though Yami had to peel Chazz off him before he could get down.

"You okay, Chazz?" Jaden teased while Yami and Syrus unpacked their skates. "You look a little pale."

"Shut up!" Chazz snapped and plopped down on a log. He hooked one leg over his knee and moved his hand over his boot. Ice encased the soles in the shape of blades. Jaden didn't bother with skates and raced Syrus towards the lake. Jim landed in front of them with a loud thud and gently shoved them pack with a disapproving glare.

"No one's going anywhere until I check the ice first." The two boys looked at the ground, embarrassed. Still in his skeletal form, Jim approached the ice, stepped out then skid across it. He moved like a gold flash; wind whistling through the tattered bone like a moaning ghost. From the shore, the five watched him. Once the horses were tied to the trees, their thick furry coats, gloves and boots, scarves and hates or earmuffs Malik insisted they wear secure, and their skates strapped to their feet: they watched the golden, skeletal being move.

Jim returned to shore with a sharp skid that sent a wave of snow onto the shore. He returned to his spectral form and tipped his hat with a smile. "All clear." He gripped his hat tightly as five bodies rushed past him and onto the ice. The force almost knocked him down, but he just laughed. Whirling around, he leaned against the shelter of the trees and watched the five of them skate.

"Eat my snow, Chazz," Jaden laughed skating backwards past him.

"Is that a challenge!" the competitive teen grunted and kicked across the ice to gain extra speed.

Jesse flopped onto his stomach while Syrus did a large figure eight then did a few spins in the air. Yami leapt over Jesse and swirled in a half circle, then bent over to help him up. Across the lake, Chazz and Jaden continued their race; from the childish teasing and roars of frustration, Jaden was winning.

"Hey you two, are you going to do that all day?" Yami asked, using his hands to amplify his voice. The two boys turned to face him then crashed into the snow. The three remaining skaters burst out laughing; their fallen companions crawled out of the snow and shook their heads. Chazz removed his earmuffs and shook the snow free from his hair. Jaden just laughed like a kid in a candy store. None of them noticed the smirking eyes watching them through the darkness of the woods.

Cold moss-gray eyes watched the sight before him with disgust. Masters playing with servants, what shame. The Sorcerer's mouth watered as he watched the lovely young man whom the Dragon King had chosen dance across the ice. So flexible. He licked his lips at thought of seeing just _how _flexible the boy could be.

_Enough of that._ He scolded himself, slipping through the shadows of the forest, his cold eyes never leaving the figures skating on the ice. He cursed silently at the familiarity between his pet and his slaves. The boy would certainly need to be retrained in Etiquettes if he were to become _his _consort.

He slithered silently through the shadows of the trees. The white of his cloak camouflaged him perfectly among the shadows. The paleness of his red hair provided the only splash of color among the frozen barren.

He waited until the servants skated away from his prize, all of them moving to separate direction. Their guardian hadn't left his position by the horses. A smile slit his face. Perfect.

He knelt down in the shadows over a nearby stream leaking from the lake. He pulled a decaying leaf off a branch, then pulled a knife from his boot and slit his hand with it. Without even a wince, he let the blood drizzle until it completely covered the leaf. The wound closed with a few short, whispered words. Finally he pressed the leaf, blood side down, in the water. It remained frozen above the current. He held his hands over it and began chanting. Black wisps danced around his hand; the leaf shined with a sickening red color.

He paused for a moment and looked once again at the beautiful boy. There was still time. Perhaps instead of this spell, he could capture the boy? Whisk him away to the mountains? Marry him himself? Or perhaps he could simply have his way with him and be done with it. Surely the Dragon King wouldn't want him after that? But then again, the Dragon King had already risked his life to save him once before. He had no doubt the Dragon King would do it again. And of course there was the chance that the boy would escape. He was powerful enough, he knew that now. No, The Sorcerer decided. The risk was too great. Best to end it now.

He finished his chant, left instructions and watched the shadow move through the water and vanish beneath the ice of lake, charging towards its victims like a steel torpedo.

The Sorcerer laughed, triumphantly, and melted back into the shadows of the woods. "Soon Seto Kaiba, I'll make you pay for your resistance. I took everything from you once, now I shall do it again. And this time, I'll make sure they'll be no one to save you."

"That was fun!" Jaden laughed. "Let's do tricks now!" He got to his feet and started skating backwards.

"I can top that!" Chazz screamed competitively, and took off running. Jaden curved and stopped in one corner to watch. Chazz leapt into the air, spun three times then landed with ease.

"Top that." He challenged.

"Uh, no thanks." Nervousness bled into Jesse's voice, as he wobbled on the ice blades Chazz made for him. "I think I'll stick with basics." He said trying to skate backwards but almost stumbled over his own feet.

"I can top it," Syrus said nervously.

"Well, then what are you waiting for?" Yami gave him a gentle push in the back. Syrus yelped when he started moving. "Go make Chazz eat his words."

Syrus nodded and picked up speed. With an elegant leap he jumped into the air, pulled his limbs into a ball, flipped then landed on his feet with a slight stumble. His eyes bright with shock, pride and triumph. "I did it!" he cheered.

"Way to go, Syrus!" Jaden cheered.

"I'm out." Jesse gave up without a fight.

"You try, Yami?" Syrus asked from the other side of the lake.

"Alright," Yami nodded back up. Yami slid backwards, double checking to make sure Jesse was still by the edge and out of danger. Jaden and Chazz were on opposite sides and Syrus was still on the other end. That meant he had the middle all to himself. Pride radiating from his being, he slid across the ice gaining as much speed as he could. He leapt high into the air, pulled his body into a messy flip, the landed in a type of hand stand, the blades of his skates screeched when they slid sharply across the ice, until he slid and formed a half moon.

He rose elegantly, his smirk wide with triumph.

"Awesome!" He could hear the boys cheering. He rose to relish his victory then stopped when he felt something cracked beneath him. "What the-?" he looked down confused. The indent left by his skates suddenly cracked beneath him, like the roots of a tiny tree.

"Not bad!" Jesse congratulated from the shore then paused when the ice began to crack beneath his weight. "What the-?" he looked down, watched tiny cracks spider web from his foot. "That can't be right?"

As if on cue, there was a loud cry from one of the horses. Jim turned around. Phantom jumped and pulled at his reigns, trying to break free. The other two retreated into the shadows, with trepidation in their eyes.

"Wow, easy!" Jim rushed over and grabbed the horse's reigns trying to calm him down.

"Is he alright?" Syrus called noticing the commotion. He hadn't noticed the cracks forming spiderwebs at his feet.

"I think he's just spooked?" Jim hollered over his shoulder. He turned to the horse with concerned eyes. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Intelligent black ones, wide with fear, met his. Then something pricked at Jim's sense, like a cold hand ripping out his spine. He dropped the reins and froze. Horror crossing his face when he recognized a presence he hadn't felt in over a hundred years.

"EVERYONE OFF THE ICE! NOW!" He screamed.

"What?" Syrus jumped back.

"Syrus, no!" Yami screamed but it was too late. Syrus landed, and the ice shattered like glass, around him.

Syrus screamed and dropped to his knees. Tiny islands of ice formed above the black water. Wild waves suddenly emerged rocking the tiny island he'd clung to like a rag doll. He screamed each time it moved, threatening to tip over.

"Syrus!" Jaden screamed. Suddenly, his footing broke and his boot sank into water. He wrenched it out and raced towards Syrus, the ice cracking beneath him. With a last jump, he landed onto Sy's island and pulled the screaming teen to his chest.

"What the hell's happening!" Chazz yelled, terrified. Crack exploded like fissures across the lake, dividing one side of the lake to other in a firm jagged line. Jesse screeched and ran as the crack followed him, more fissured split from the large one, until he finally jumped to the shore. His feet broke through the ice and he landed in the water on the shoreline, soaking his ankles and knees. Jim raced and pulled him onto the shore.

"Stay here!" he ordered and took to the air, on his skeletal wings.

Above the ice a giant spider web of cracks formed. Chazz and Yami stayed as still as possible even as islands of ice cracked around them.

"Chazz, don't move!" Yami called, when the teen nearly lost his footing.

"Shit!" Chazz cursed when a large chunk of ice shattered to his left.

Yami did his best to stay standing as the ground shook beneath him. Syrus screeched, and clung to Jaden tighter when Jim landed on their island. Without waiting for protests, he grabbed them both and threw them off the island and back onto the unbroken side of the lake with such force they both slide and crashed into the snow.

"Go!" He ordered, get to shore!

They both nodded but the ice beneath them, suddenly split, breaking on its own like a dropped mirror. Syrus slid from the ice, his feet crashing into water. Jaden jumped forward and grabbed his arms pulling him back to safety.

"Come on!" Jim jumped into the air, and offered Yami a hand, not daring to land, but Yami brushed it away.

"I'm fine, get Chazz first," Yami protested. Jim opened his mouth to protest but Chazz's scream as the ice broke between his feet, forcing him to crash onto a shrinking sheet of ice, stopped him. "Go!" Yami ordered. Jim did so.

Shaking Yami looked around, desperate for any means to escape, but the ice kept forming new cracks beneath him. All around him the sides of the lake had cracked and vanished beneath the dark water. A huge crack mere inches his feet split the lake like a scar. A shadow swooped beneath the ice. Yami's eyes flew to it. It moved again; he followed. His heart pounded against the cage of his ribs. It moved again, only this time Yami could see claws, hair, red eyes that only lasted a second before vanishing, but the mere sight of them, even for a second, sent a shiver through Yami's eyes.

"I-I" he started shaking and not from cold. Terror caused his heart to stop when he heard laugher exploding from the forest. The horrified looks on everyone else's faces told him he wasn't imagining it. The monster from his nightmares had come. And it was swimming straight towards him!

His eyes widened in pure horror. Realization hit him like a title wave. Beneath him the cracks became deeper, snapping loudly, mocking him.

"No…"Yami shivered as the visions that haunted his sleep suddenly became a terrifying reality. He looked at Jim crashing into the snow, with Chazz on top of him in a desperate attempt to save the boy from falling under. Chazz lied petrified in terror realizing just how close he came to death. Jesse screamed from shore running along the edges to see if everyone was alright. Syrus cried from fear in Jaden's arms.

Though not in the same vision, Yami could tell exactly what was happening. The white castle that suddenly turned black. The monster chasing him through the woods. _These _woods, he recalled now realizing why everything looked frighteningly familiar. The boy in silver, the three guardians, the mystery man with his heart torn open, the ground beneath him cracking like a glass about to break. Just like in his dreams.

No, not dreams. He realized with horror, as he looked down, the monstrous corps smiling at him with vicious, pupiless, red-eyes. "They were premonitions…"

The ice exploded, crystal fragments filled the air. The whole lake shattered like a broken mirror. Water and ice erupted at Yami's feet like hydro volcanoes. Time froze for a moment. Yami stood suspended in mid air, barely able to scream one word before he was pulled under by the claws hand clenching his ankle.

"SETO!"

* * *

Long Live the Queen!

Yes, I made Pegasus the Child Broker, tell me i didn't scar some people for life with that one! Mwahahahahaha!

Stay tuned for the next chap!


	21. Chapter 20: The Rescue

I finally got this up! THANK GOD! This took a whole week to type: i had to make sure i capture everything appropriately,especially cause when i envisioned this i had the whole scene in my head so it was a pain trying to convey it accurately, and while I'm not completely satisfied with it, I feel it got the point across.

Sorry for the long wait-WAY too much going on.

**Note to anonymous reviewers: **I don't mind anonymous reviews, but recently I've been getting some amazing reviews asking me questions but i couldn't answer them because they were anonymous, so if that's the case PLEASE sign in so i can respond to you. If in the event you don't have a FF account, then please leave you're e-mail address or something, just some way of me getting in touch with you so I may answer your questions and properly thank you for your wonderful comments.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing but the plot and the twists. This is loosely based off the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale and the disney movie. I'll leave up to you to decide which ones from the movie, fairy tale and my own imagination. Yugioh Yugioh GX and all its characters however belong to Takahashi (who i'm CONVINCED is a SHONEN God!)

**Warning: Drowning, mentions of hypothermia, slight yoai, nudity and body heat**

Again I apologize for the long wait, as always read, review, critique, ask questions, leave comments, concerns and if you must, flame don't be a trolls and just say "it sucks" and leave it at that: tell me WHY so i can fix it.

* * *

Chapter 20: The Rescue

"Is that everything?" Seto asked tapping the collection of papers against the desk. Once they were even, he handed it to Zane.

Zane flipped through them with calculating eyes then tucked the stack under his arm. "Everything appears to be in order. Our food and textile expenses have gone up considerably, but they aren't cause for too much concern. "

Seto laughed. "Well, now that Malik and Bakura actually have a subject to test their food and clothes on, I doubt we'll be able to control those expenses beyond a certain point. Anything else I need to look over or am I free?" Seto asked standing up.

Zane shook his head with a small smile. "No, that's all. I'm sure Yami and the boys will be happy to have you join them." Zane bowed and turned to leave, not failing to notice the excitement in Seto's once dead eyes. The teenager had done wonders for the castle's atmosphere over the past few months. The change in his Master's temperament was…refreshing, to say the least. And not just Seto, but the staff as well. Even his brother was smiling more often. It was wonderful having the once dead castle so full of life again.

Zane jumped when a loud crash echoed behind him. He turned around to demand an explanation, than froze. Papers slipped from his shaking hands. A cold shiver he hadn't felt in over a century shook his body to the very core. Almost too frightened to look up, Zane found Seto standing over the remains of a broken bottle. Ink and glass spilled around Seto's feet. His entire form racked with anger and fear. His claws shook uncontrollably at his sides like they were contorted from pain. His eyes focused on the window.

"Seto…"Zane breathed almost too afraid of the answer to speak.

As if on cue, a loud scream echoed through the forest, sending a storm of black birds screeching into the air. Zane's heart sank into his stomach. All form of etiquette forgotten, he bolted past Seto, stormed outside and rushed to the balcony. "That was Syrus!"

Another cry followed, but this time it wasn't Syrus.

Seto suddenly shot up. His eyes shifted from blank shock to pure terror then to absolute rage. He growled, baring his fangs. His claws curled into fists and his bangs shaded his face until finally the Dragon King released an ear-splitting roar mimicking that of a dragon protecting its endangered mate. Enormous gusts of wind sent dust and snow into the air so thick Zane had to cover his eyes with his arm when Seto flapped his wings. With a powerful leap and two strong gales, Seto was in the air and took off through the sky like a streak of lightning. Zane clenched the banister to keep himself from falling, unable to take his eyes of the Dragon King as he flew by.

He wasted no time bolting from the room, and down the steps. On the stairway, Joey stormed upwards, a look of panic and confusion on his face. "Zane what's going-"

"Get the staff now!" Zane ordered without giving him so much as a glance, and stormed downstairs in a flash. The maître d' didn't need to be told twice.

* * *

Yami couldn't breathe. Couldn't see. Couldn't think. Couldn't scream. Bubbles exploded from his mouth. He tried to cover it with his hands to keep from crying out, but horrible pain in his ankle and the rush of water in his ears made it impossible to think clearly. Watery darkness suffocated him. Even more terrifying was the monster clamped onto his ankle-the same corpse-like monster with blood red eyes from his nightmares. Its twisted jaw opened at an unnatural angle releasing a piercing wail, that made Yami scream in pain but only bubbles came out. The creature stretches its gaunt claws towards him, clawing and pulling on his legs to climb him. Thinking quickly, Yami pulled his other leg back and delivered a powerful kick to the monster's jaw. The creature spiraled back screaming in rage, letting go of Yami's ankle.

Wasting no time, Yami started to kick and battle the water as fast as he could. Light from the surface guided him upward. A screech made him look down. The creature swam in circles like a shark before coming at him like a torpedo. His body acting on autopilot, Yami pushed himself to the left. The creature flew past him, but not before it locked eyes with its prey. Yami's heart nearly stopped beating at the naked hunger burning in the smoldering, fiery pits of the monsters eyes. The creature stopped before it reached the surface and dived back into the darkness. Yami quickly broke the surface and gasped desperately for much needed air.

"Yami!" Syrus called from the shore. Jim panted and shook violently. His spirit form fading until he returned to his transparent human form.

Cold air froze Yami to the core. He threw a shaking arm over the unstable ice and tried to climb, but his gloves slid each time he tried to grip the slippery surface.

"Hold on, we're coming!" Jaden yelled, about to jump back onto the ice.

"Jaden, no!" Yami screamed. The boys stopped in their tracks. "Get out of here they're something in the water! Get out-AH!" Yami screamed as something grabbed his leg again. A violent tug and he lost his grip on the ice.

"Yami!" The boys screamed as he was once again dragged beneath the surface.

"What the hell is that?" Jesse demanded, trying to help his semi-conscious older sibling to his feet. The horses screamed in fear from the other side of the lake, except Phantom who was pulling at his reigns trying to break them.

Chazz's eyes scanned the pond then he looked at his fading hands. Already he was beginning to return to his spectral form. Syrus and Jaden crawled to the rim of the pond. The ice fragments shifted position crashing together like giant puzzle pieces. They watched a black shadow move across the surface and their horror as Yami tried to swim to the surface.

"We have to do something." Jaden grabbed his hair in frustration, and moved to dive in but Chazz grabbed him and pulled him back.

"Are you stupid? We'll just make things worse!" he said frantically. "The ice won't stop moving, it keeps breaking, the water is below freezing, and unless we can somehow make our spirit forms grow ten times they're normal size, we can't even so much as pull Yami out!"

"But we have to help him?" Syrus pleaded, large tears of fear pooling down his face. "We could…"

"Do what, Syrus!" Chazz screamed and punched the ground. "We're ghosts, remember? We can't _do_ anything!" Tears of frustration started to fall from his cheeks. "Even if we wanted too, we'd have to use our spirit forms, and they're too damn small! Don't you get it! There's nothing we can do!" Chazz ranted, hopelessly and fell to his knees. It took all his will power not to cry.

Suddenly, all feelings of doubt shifted when a powerful roar echoed through the woods.

* * *

Water crashed around Yami like tidal waves, chilling him to the bone. He chocked as the cold seeped into his body. It took all his will power not to scream as the creature dragged him deeper into the depths of the lake. When the creature finally let go, it grabbed his shoulders, its jaw twisted into a gruesome needle-fanged smile. Yami's hands flew to the creature's claws. He kicked and thrashed wildly to get it to let go. The creature just laughed, pushing its victim deeper into the mud; its talons wrapped around his neck. Yami bunched his legs kicked the monster in its decaying torso. It released him with a howl of rage.

Yami wasted no time and launched himself off the ground towards the surface. Kicking and swimming as fast as he could, knowing the creature wasn't far behind him.

Except it wasn't following him, it was circling him with a mocking smirk. Like it wanted him to think he had a chance to escape. Yami's blood boiled with anger and realization. This… thing… this monster…It was _playing_ with him! Like that man in the woods who taunted him like he was a common whore. Like that monster that tried to rip Seto and him to pieces. Like the Sorcerer who played with innocent people's lives when he cursed an entire castle and reduced everyone he'd come to love to mere imitations of human existence.

Just the thought sent a new wave of determination blazing through his being. Fire burned in Yami's eyes. His fists clenched in anger. Sparks and heat crackled in his hands, unnoticed by the monster that'd resumed its shark-like play and started circling him before charging, like a freight train, towards its prey. Yami didn't notice that his eyes were glowing. Or that his palms were suddenly alive with blue fire that blazed under the water like lanterns. _"You want me?"_ he taunted with his mind. Bubbles leaked from his parted lips when he smirked. _"Then come and get me you hideous piece of filth!" _

Blinded by rage, the monster screamed in furry and charged. Jaw expanded to swallow him, claws flexed, but Yami showed no fear. Instead he smiled, a new wave of determination swelled within him as fire burned in his hands. He held his flaming hands over his head waiting. Too late the monster realized its mistake. It halted in its tracks but its own speed sent itself hurtling straight into the full force of the young man's anger.

"Iah!" Yami screamed. With the flick of his wrists, bolts of dark blue fire crackling with lightning blasted the creature in its hideous face. Its body contorted with pain as fire and electricity burned it alive underwater: its eyes froze in horror, its jaw hitched at an unnatural angle as it screamed its pain, and its face formed a contorted mask of shock. Flames consumed the corps-like form until only a pile of ashes scattered across the water then faded into tiny puffs of smoke.

_I did it. _ Yami thought triumphantly, staring at his hands with a mixture of victory and shock. Suddenly, his entire body felt heavy. His limbs sank like iron, and his lungs ached for air. His vision began to spiral and his mind faded in and out of consciousness. He struggled to move his arms and legs, to keep his eyes open, by every time he tried to move his body betrayed him. Slowly, his strength began to diminish. His body collapsed, weakly. His eyes started to close, just as he began to sink.

* * *

Seto bolted through the woods and sprang into the sky above the clearing, his wings expanded to their full length against the gray sky. His eyes meticulously scanned the area. The frozen lake was shattered to pieces floating unstably on top of black water. The horses were screaming and thrashing to get away; only Phantom managed to free himself and was circling the edges of the lake. In the corner, Jim met his eyes. The man struggled to stand and pointed to the lake. The boys were screaming, jumping and pointing to the lake, hollering Yami's name over and over again. There was no sign of his desert rose, but it didn't take him long to piece together what had happened.

Just as he was about to dive again, a jolt galvanized him from head to toe. Seto shot up, glancing across the clearing, through the shadows of the trees. Just in time to catch the triumphant green eyes. Ice blue eyes blazed with horror; sea green flashed with victory and arrogance. Blood red lips curled into a smirk. Seto bore his fangs and released an inhuman growl of rage that morphed into the roar of a dragon. He flex of leaped into the air then dived straight down towards the water like a dive bomb.

He crashed through the ice, water exploded around him. He flew through the water, scanning the surface for his captive. "Yami!" he screamed, though he knew Yami couldn't hear him underwater.

The sound of his name brought Yami back to consciousness. His foggy vision made out a bright light over head. Faintly, he heard a loud crash like splashing water. Above him a dark figure appeared against the background of the light. At first he feared the monster wasn't really dead, but then he made out long, extended shapes…like wings.

_Wings…_his dreams came back to him. His dream lover, the man with wings, was actually the dragon that saved him. Then he saw them: brilliant silvery blue scales glittering like a galaxy of stars, leathery, wings expanded across the bright light, and brilliant ice blue eyes with dragon slit pupils. A familiar form came into vision, followed by the concerned call of his name. "Yami!"

"Seto?" Yami breathed, and forced himself to raise his arm. His eyes widened as his savior swam towards him. Ice blue eyes blazed with so many emotions. Reaching towards him with all his might

Suddenly, it all became clear. Yami could've kicked himself earlier for not realizing it. His dreams, no his premonitions. The man he kept seeing in his dreams. His dragon. His savior. It all made sense. How could he have missed something so obvious…

Yami reached closer, feeling a strong comforting hand embrace his own. "Seto…"

* * *

Seto's heart hammered in his chest when he felt Yami's hand clench his firmly. The dragon swiftly pulled his precious rose against his chest and flapped his wings, vigorously. Beating them against the water, he propelled himself and his heavy burden towards the surface. Yami's half-lidded eyes and the bubbles leaking from his blue lips only made him swim faster. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, increasing as the light of the winter sun grew brighter. He shifted Yami so his head and torso were pressed against his chest and covered Yami with his arms. With another powerful flap of his wings, he broke through the surface. Water shattered like a blue volcano raining fragments of ice and liquid. Seto burst into the air and crashed against the shore. He landed on his side, hissing when he fell on one of his sore wings, Yami still clenched in his arms.

"Kaiba! Yami!" everyone screamed, rushing over to them. Seto coughed and wheezed loudly. He rolled over and gently placed Yami on the snow. When Yami didn't move, and his lips and skin started turning pale blue, ignoring his own cough and soaked clothes, Seto proceeded to strip his captive of his soaked coat and forced Yami's freezing shirt over his head.

"Yami!" Syrus screamed seeing the teen's shaking form, blue lips and his paling skin.

"Syrus, get back" Seto ordered. Syrus stopped in his tracks. No one dared defy Seto's order. Seto placed his palms flat on Yami's chest, just below his ribs. His claws flexed so they didn't touch Yami's skin, and pushed down firmly.

"He's not breathing!" Syrus panicked.

"He's turning blue!" Jesse screamed.

"Shit! Shit!" Jaden freaked, grabbing his hair. Chazz was the only one not moving. His horrified eyes remained transfixed on the paling body of his friend. Not moving, even as his Master tired to force life back into his body. Already Yami's lips were turning blue and ice started freezing his hair together.

"Damnit Yami, breathe!" Seto commanded slamming his fist hard against the teen's lower torso, before pressing down on his chest again.

Suddenly, Yami's eyed flew open, his body shot up and he started coughing, violently. A moment later, he rolled over and vomited a stomach full of water. His body fell limp and he fell over coughing and shuddering. Seto caught him and started rubbing his back to help him breathe better, but all the teen could manage was a series of heavy, desperate rasps. When his eyes started to close, Chazz shot forward and slapped him hard across the face, waking him instantly.

"Don't you_ dare _go to sleep!" He commanded, and started taking off the rest of his wet clothes. "Don't just stand there, help me!" he yelled at Jaden and Syrus. "We have to get him out of these wet clothes or he'll freeze. Master, you too, you'll get him wet!" Jaden and Syrus nodded and started helping him.

"Jess, go get the blankets from the horses! And get Phantom!" Seto commanded, stripping his own soaked coat and shirt, and whipped away the sweat from his flushed brow.

Jesse nodded and bolted. Jim shook his head to clear his thoughts and stood up. He removed his own coat and wrapped it around Yami's trembling shoulders. "You alright?" He asked Seto, noticing how red the Dragon's skin had become.

"I'll be fine," Seto said quickly. "Don't worry about me."

Jim felt Yami's forehead and cursed loudly. The teen struggled to stay awake, but his eyelids felt like lead and his body couldn't support his weight. "Seto we have to get him out the cold, now! He's barely conscious!"

"I know!" Seto snarled, but Jim could sense the terror laced in the King's voice.

"We got the blankets!" Jesse hollered, and started wrapping them around Yami's naked form. Phantom panicked loudly and nuzzled his master's cheek to keep him awake.

"Jim, take the horses back to the barn." Jim nodded. "You four," he told the boys "Go with him, when you get back change your clothes and get whatever Duke has for treating hypothermia. I'm taking him back to the palace," Seto ordered and scooped Yami bridal style in his arms, double checking to make sure the blankets and coat were wrapped securely around his body before holding him as close to his chest as he could-anything to block out the cold.

But before taking off, he growled furiously and turned to the woods. "I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS. YOU SON OF A DEVIL'S BITCH! YOU HEAR ME? I'LL HUNT YOU DOWN AND I'LL RIP YOU LIMB FOR LIMB FOR THIS! I SWEAR IT!" He screamed a terrible combination of a declaration of vengeance and the furious roar of a dragon determined to avenge its fallen comrades. "I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO!"

He turned around, flapped his wings flew back to the palace as fast as his wings could fly, roaring in anger and terror the entire way.

* * *

"Do you see them?" Jou asked, searching the sky. Zane scanned the sky for his master, but found nothing.

"Damnit, where are they!" Zane cursed and punched the banister. "Marik! Any word from the guard tower!" the Stewart hollered towards the golden gryphon guard flying over-head. The guard shook his head.

"Nothing's broken the border. All of the exits are intact," Marik reported. "Nothing is inside the castle. And I don't see any—wait…There! Zane look!"

Zane obeyed and scanned the sky. A shape appeared among the gray sky. It grew larger as it got closer. Quickly, Zane made out the shape of ice-blue wings. "There! It's the Master!"

"Look out!" Jou screamed. Zane and Jou barely had time to jump out of the way when Seto crashed onto the balcony. His bare back and wings slammed against the ground barely missing the glass doors. Yami was still shivering in his arms.

"What happened!" Mai screamed dropping the blankets she'd been holding. She rushed outside, dropped to her knees and felt Yami's shivering forehead.

"He has hypothermia." Seto stood up with a struggle and carried Yami inside. His tired wings dragged limply behind him. "Shut the doors, you're letting the cold air in!" Seto commanded.

Zane and Jou obeyed and locked the doors tight. Without being asked, they began pulling the thick curtains over the glass to keep the cold out.

"Get the fire going, and get lots of blankets, and… and…get Duke!" Seto stuttered ordered. He placed Yami on the bed, gently and started removing the damp blankets with his shaking hands.

"Master, please come down," Mai assured him. "I'll take care of him." Once the blankets were removed she cleared the ice and water from Yami's hair. Once his skin was completely dry, she proceeded to wrap him up in as many warm, wool blankets she could find. Seto watched her work transfixed on his captive's shivering form. He'd finally fallen into an uneasy sleep, and his breathing had transformed to raspy coughs and pants.

"Seto, where are the boys?" Zane asked panicked. "Are they alright?"

"They're fine," Seto said quickly. "Jim's bringing them back. Where the hell is Duke?" Seto hollered, furiously tugging at his hair.

"Master, please," Jou chided, gently. He turned to the logs in the fire and squeezed his palm. When he opened it and black flame filled it and immediately lit the logs. He left the gate open and flapped his own wings hoping to spread the warm, dry air.

"He's right, Kaiba," Mai said gently, tucking the blankets around Yami's torso to stop his shivering. "You need to get out of those wet things too or you'll freeze too."

"I'm a dragon, Mai. My body will warm up on its own. I'll be fine." Seto said quickly, not caring he was still only wearing his damp trousers.

"Zane!" Marik burst into the room, followed shortly by Duke who was holding a basket of herb jars and Tea who has a bewildered look of concern on her face. All three of them stopped at the sight before them.

"What happened!" Tea gasped. Duke wasted no time and rushed to Mai's side, and set the basket on the bedside.

"Not now, what is it Marik?" Zane ordered since his Master's attention was focused on his shivering captive.

Marik straightened himself and cleared his throat. "Jim is back, the boys are with him. They're demanding to know is Yami's alright." He answered.

The entire staff, including Bakura and Marik who were bound to the hearth and guard towers respectively with the Master's permission, had all relocated to Yami's room. Malik and the girls had gathered every blanket they could find and piled them on top of him. Jou and the servants managed to get the fire going and seal off all the cold spaces in the room. Everyone had panicked and demanded an explanation until Duke finally got fed up and kicked everyone but Ryou and Seto out of the room. However, after some heavy pleading and promising not to do anything unless told, Duke let Syrus, Jaden, Jesse and Chazz back in.

Unable to do anything else, the boys just sat at the end of Yami's bed, flinching every time he rasped or shivered. Whenever the fire started going down they threw more wood in and kept it going. If they felt a slight draft, they fished it out and suffocated it with a blanket. No cold dared leak into the room with the four guarding every inch of the room.

No one dared to ask Seto to leave. Instead the dragon paced back and forth, his wings flapped angrily behind him and flexing his claws impatiently. "What's taking so long!"

"We're doing everything we can," Duke said civilly. He could tell his Master was terrified, but the Dragon's constant pestering was pushing the Botanist' to his limits.

"He's in bad shape, Duke," Ryou whispered, hoping not to worry Seto. "His skin is still freezing, and his fever won't go down."

"Can't you give him anything?" Seto panicked, shaking and brushing his damp brow. His own skin was flushed and damp from heat, but he ignored it.

Duke growled and shot up. "And _what _exactly should I give him, Seto Kaiba? In case you haven't noticed he's unconscious! It's too dangerous to give him anything. Even if I did give him something to bring down the fever, it would only make the hypothermia worse! So tell me, Seto Kaiba, what _exactly _do you want us to do, that we haven't already done?" the botanist demanded harshly, but quickly calmed himself down enough to speak rationally. "It is _very _dangerous using treat hypothermia using medication. Too much heat is just a dangerous as too much cold."

Seto stood like a statue, looking like someone had slapped him. "Is there, I mean…is there anything we can do? You? I? Just tell me." he pleaded, his eyes never leaving Yami's unconscious form. His skin was no longer blue, but was flushed with fever and shaking with hypothermia still in his system.

Duke ran a hand over his bangs and gripped the banister to keep himself steady. Vaguely, he caught the shaking, fearful faces of the boys, who turned to their friend with worried eyes. He cursed himself for losing control so abruptly. "We need to get his core temperature back up. Unfortunately, that's impossible at this point."

"Why? What is it?" Seto demanded, instantly.

"What do you mean impossible?" Chazz demanded, jumping onto all fours, trying to look intimidating but it was difficult to be afraid of the kitten-sized dragon.

"It means we can't do it," Duke answered "because it requires something none of us are able to properly do long enough to bring up his core temperature."

"What is it?" Seto demanded, again, his voice dangerously low.

"Body heat," Ryou answered, whipping away the sweat from Yami's face with a dry wash cloth.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Jaden jumped to Yami's side and cuddled his furry kuriboh body against the teen's chest, but Ryou shook his head sadly.

"Unfortunately, our spectral forms don't give off any type of body heat, even when physical. Our spirit forms probably can, but none of us can provide the necessary amount of body heat due to the differences between the human body and our monster ones." Ryou clenched the wash cloth so hard it began to leak. "We're ghosts. We can't do a blasted thing!"

"What about me?" Seto shot up. "I'm purely physical, and I'm a dragon, my body's naturally warmer than a human's. I can give him my heat, can't I?" he stepped forward, but stumbled. Duke shot forward and caught him, his hand grazing Seto's forehead. He pulled it back like he was burned.

"No you can't! Kaiba, you're burning up?" Duke exclaimed concerned.

"Yes, I told you I-" Seto began but Duke cut him off.

"No, I mean you're over-heated!" the man pushed one Seto's shoulder so he was sitting down. "You're body's overheated to combat the cold! Do you have any idea how dangerous that is? Combating cold with intense, rapid heat is like filling a hot glass with cold water!"

Seto's eyes widened. His mind trying to wrap around what he was just told. He ran his claws through his hair, barely nicking his fin-like ears, until he heard another haggard cough. His eyes shot to Yami, who was coughing again, barely able to move. The boys held him down trying to keep him steady.

Seto made up his mind.

He walked past Duke, removed the trench coat he'd been given when he came inside, and worked off his boots. "Duke, Ryou take the boys outside. Tell everyone what's going on and check on Yami's vitals every so often until he wakes up. Take shifts if you must."

"What? Seto, did you not-" Duke started but Ryou grabbed his shoulder.

"Wait, Duke. I think I know what he's thinking. Yami's too cold, and Kaiba's too hot. They're combined temperatures should even them both out, right?"

Duke shook his head, "No! I mean, it's possible, but what if it doesn't work? Kaiba's over-heated so, it might get Yami's core temperature back up, but if he doesn't cool down in time, he could-"

"Would it give Yami a chance?" Seto asked, sitting on the edge of the bed and gently scooped the protesting kuriboh, dragonroid, ruby carbuncal and shadow dragon into his arms.

Duke's jaw dropped. "Well, yes, but the damage to you could-"

"That's all I need to know," Seto decided, placing Jaden and Syrus in Duke's arms and Jess and Chazz in Ryou's.

"This isn't fair, Master! Let us stay too!" Syrus pleaded, squirming to escape his prison.

"No!" Ryou chided, gently. "Listen you four, I know you want to help, but the best things we can do right now is wait. Trust your master."

All four of them opened their mouth to protest, but Ryou's smile silences them.

"You better know what you're doing, Kaiba!" Duke glared, but his worry was visible in the green depths.

"I do," Seto told them, undoing his belt. "Leaves us."

The Botanist's eyes narrowed, but he obeyed and followed Ryou outside. Just before closing the door behind him, Duke warned "Don't bother with his arms or legs. That'll only work the cold back towards his heart and lungs. Focus on his head, his torso and his groin. If he doesn't warm up by morning come find us _immediately_."

When the door shut, Seto stripped the rest of his clothes and slid under the thick cocoon of blankets. He carefully pulled Yami to his warm chest, and pressed their torsos together. He hissed when Yami's icy skin touched his. He bit his lip and pressed Yami's forehead against his collar. He wrapped a wing around Yami's head and hair, the other around his back and hips. He tucked the covers into every crevice around him, making sure no cold seeped through.

"Yami," he whispered, hoping his desert rose could still hear him. He rubbed the young man's back when he started shivering again. "I'm sorry." He hugged Yami closer. "I'm so sorry I didn't protect you. I never thought—I didn't think that bastard would go this far. I know I should've seen it, but…" His voice broke on the last part, and he had to stop to keep himself from breaking down.

He lied his precious rose down again, smiling when Yami stopped shivering, but his skin was still cold, and his fever still high. He gently kissed the boy's forehead and pulled him closer, wrapping him in his warmth and letting the coolness of Yami's flesh wash over him. Seto hadn't realized just how hot he'd been until now. Already he could feel drowsiness overcome him.

"I promise," Seto whispered his Yami's ear. "I promise, when you wake up, I'll protect you. I don't care what he throws at me; I'll never let that—that—monster anywhere near you, again. I won't!" Seto clenched the blankets at his side, before settling down against the mattress, the warmth of the cocoon the staff created for Yami and the soothing coolness of Yami's skin, lulling the Dragon King to sleep. "Please…come back to me, Yami." A small tear rolled down his cheek, gently damping the teen's forehead. "I can't lose you too, Yami. I can't…" he said at last before the stress, anxiety and the terror finally took its toll on him and he collapsed into darkness. "I'm not strong enough too."

* * *

Zane slide his back against the door to the room his younger brother shared with the three other servants. After a flurry of questions and concerns, panic attacks and hours of reassurance from Duke and Ryou, he'd finally got the four boys to settle into an uneasy sleep. He'd been annoyed when Syrus clamped onto Jaden the entire time before finally falling asleep in the boy's arms, but he didn't have the heart to comment on it. There was too much unrest already.

"How are they?" Zane looked up and found Jim standing in the hallway.

"They'll be fine. They're just worried. We all are." Zane explained and slouched against the door, anxiety taking its toll of him as well.

"I'm not surprised. Who knows what those kids saw," Jim took off his hat and ran a hand through his dark hair, and closed his good eye.

"Speaking of that," Jou slipped into the hallway. "What exactly happened today?" the maître d' asked gravely. "This was more than just a simple ice break wasn't it?"

Jim's eyes scanned the hallway, double-checking to make sure no one was there, and gestured Jou and Zane to come closer. "I didn't want ta say anything in front of everyone but something doesn't add up," Jim whispered "I checked that ice meself and I swear on my brother's life it was at least six inches thick. And I think we can all agree there's no way Yami's heavy enough to crack it, let alone fall through. And something else was there, _in _the lake."

Jou's eyes widened in horror. He turned to the Stewart whose eyes were hard and unreadable. "Zane?"

Zane said nothing. Then he closed his eyes and sighed. "Double the guard. No one is to leave the castle without an escort and at least one of the guards, myself, you two or the Master. Until winter is over, everyone is confined to the immediate grounds until further notice. If our fears are correct, then we're not taking _any _chances."

* * *

All the information on Hypothermia in this was taken from the internet and hospital sources, i have a few relatives who deal with medical care. Basically, given he was underwater and near drowning I felt it was appropriate for Yami to suffer hypothermia.

Also, i rememeber one of my anonymous reviews asking for a chapter when Seto realizes his feelings for Yami after he gets sick, well you got your wish-granted i had this plan in mind, LONG before i got that reviews, but its always a near death experience that makes us realize just WHAT is important in our lives-in this case, seto's willingness to risk his own health for Yami's.

Fangirls, feel free to drool over the fact that two drop dead gorgeous guys are completely naked and using the other for warmth. XD

Anyway, Yami's fire magic returns! More on that and his premonitions next chapter. Oh, and i finally decided on a length for this story! including the next chapter it will be somewhere between 25 and 30 chapters, preferably somewhere in between (though i usually like ending things on a nice solid number, i no longer care) Prepare for things to heat up all my wonderful reviews, because Summer is here, and you wonderful Queen of Plot Twists is ready and willing to reign supreme now that nothing is holding her back!

MWHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA


	22. Chapter 21: The Awakening

I love summer! I am getting these chapters up faster than ever! Woohoo!

**ANNOUNCEMENT: TO ALL PRIDESHIPPING FANS WITH DA ACCOUNTS**: There is a new Prideshipping group called PrideshippingFTW of which I am a contributor and my beta Mitzumi-ones of the best prideshippers on the site, is the Founder. We are currently looking for new members and art work contributions, and good news, this group is much more organized than previous groups. Also, my own fic Dragon Rose is located there for all of your enjoyment also! So check it out! Submit work, get more feedback, make new friends, rant and rave about your problems, and have fun! Check it out!

**Second Announcement: To my Anonymous reviewers**, As i mentioned last chapter, PLEASE turn on your accounts, it doesn't take too long to press the login button and hit okay, I am honestly a step away from disabling my anonymous reviews because I GREATLY dislike having to answer them in my authors notes since I can't access the reviewers any other way, but anyway. I love all of your reviews, and it annoys me that I can't respond to them, so please guys it would make life so much easier for me if you gave me some way to contact you so i can respond to your comments. Thank you ^-^ (NOTE: This does not count for the people who aren't registered, since I used to be one of those people before I got an accout, in which case thank you all for your wonderful support and feedback)

Also, I few people have brought up the idea of me writing a YamixYusei story based on Atlantis. While I admit it is an excellent Idea and I am truly flattered you all think so highly of me and enjoy my work to think I'm capable of it and like i said its a great job but in all honestly, I am not really into the pairing, but more so, if you have seen my profile page, I have a wedding list of Fics that I already plan to work on including two three not including DR that are still in progress as well as at least three future prideshipping fics, and about six puzzleshipping fics-not including Our Lady which i will continue when Dragon Rose is done and All I Ever Wanted which will be continued once Frost King is done. Also I have a ton of Original work including my novel (which i am trying to get published) and my Nevermore Series that i plan on getting done this summer, so in other words, I'm sorry but I just do not have the time, to do ANOTHER project. Second, I believe I said this before, but I do not take requests. As much as I am flattered when people ask for them and how honored I am to write them for people, I can't write on demand. For me ideas have to come to me and then as I write, i both plan the story out and make it up as I go, thus creating the unique and well thought out stories you all know and love. If I try and force those i just get a mess, and I HAVE tried that in the past-so again I'm sorry but It's not going to happen.

**Dedications: **To Mitzumi-Chan, again, for all of her hard work yesterday and staying up until 6:30 am to get this back to me...You rock girl!

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing. Yugioh, Yugioh GX and all its characters belongs to Kazumi Takahashi-who I am CONVINCED is a God! The film this is based off of also belongs to Disney and the fairy tale that inspired the movie belongs to the French author who wrote it (see previous entries). However, anything else including much of the plot is mine.

Now, as always read, review, comment, critique, ask questions, rant, and give feedback: I encourage constructive criticism! DO NOT BE AFRAID! there is NOTHING you can say that will offend me!

* * *

Chapter 21: The Awakening

_That night Yami dreamed of his sanctuary. Once again he found himself lying in a field of sparkling roses, glowing like jewels against the thick, lush, comfy grass. Above him he could make out the castle. Only it was its darker colors rather than the pristine white, but he'd grown fond of its black roofs, faded walls and dark spires. It shimmered against the clear sky. The stain glass windows sparkled like scattered jewels, even the glass entrance where Malik and Marik, both donning their gold gryphon-shaped armor where sitting on top of, shined with life._

_In the field he could see Jaden chasing Syrus across the field with Jesse not too far behind, under the watchful eye of Zane and Jim. Chazz and Ryou leaned against Bakura, under the shade of a tree. Further away Tea and Duke sat on a picnic blanket making daisy chains. On another blanket Jou laid with his head on his wife's lap while Mai twirled his bangs around her fingers, and Serenity laughed. Yami watched from the hillside, where he lied back against the roses. _

_Except that he wasn't alone this time. His savior lied next to him, only this time he had leathery silvery-blue wings and his ice-blue eyes were the same human eyes he had in his dragon form and his hands were dragon claws. Yami wove his fingers with his dream lover's claws, feeling a cool tingle running through them. For a moment they just lied there among the roses, their hands intertwined. Their heads turned to the side, bright rose red eyes met brilliant blue. _

_Yami didn't need to see to know who his savior was. His dream lover. His dragon. How could he have missed it before? It all made such perfect sense in retrospect. But none of that mattered. All that mattered was what was happening now._

"_Come to me, my Prince of Dreams…"Yami's eyes widened when his lover began to sing the words of his poem in a deep soothing chime. "Come to my white castle atop the shinning hill…Shadowed by Twilight's spell…"_

_Yami had almost forgotten about it. Even though he'd written the words himself, they sounded so familiar, like someone had spoken them to him in a dream and he'd written them down as soon as he woke up._

"_My Kingdom shrouded in mists…Lost by time, a secret that no longer exists." _

_ Yami rolled onto his side met his lover's warm eyes with a smile and answered. "I'm already here. I'm exactly where I want to be."He leaned closer so he and his Dragon King were only a few inches apart. He hummed when the Dragon King began stroking his hair. His eyes fluttered closed, soothed by the tender touch and the crystal chimes in the air. Words filled his mind as the music hummed in his ears._

"_Rescue me, become my majestic key…" _

"_Escape the chains that bind…_

"_You heart and spirit behind…. _

"_The bars of Society…"_

_Yami chuckled to himself and leaned a bit closer into his lover's embrace so his head was resting on his folded hands. He heard a low rush of wind then felt cool shade wrap over him. "I told you, I'm already here." He sighed._

_His Dragon King chuckled, lightly. "That wasn't what I meant." He spoke in a rich voice with a sultry rasp. Then he began to sing again. "Come to me, my key of Fire; My hope that sings, Join me in the Kingdom of Eternal Dreams…" Yami could hear him move, and when he opened his eyes, he found his Dragon King leaning over him. Sunlight pooled around him, making him shimmer like quicksilver and his eyes glow like bright blue stones._

_Yami blinked in surprise and couldn't help but flush at the fact he was sprawled out beneath the Dragon King, but his savior just gave him a small smile and whispered. "Will you be my key, Yami?" he asked softy. At first he couldn't answer. The concept sounded foreign but familiar all at once. "Will you be my angel and set me free?"_

_He waited for Yami's answer. Now he remembered, and he mentally slapped himself for forgetting. The key to breaking the Dragon King's curse. The key to freeing his lover and all the people been nothing but kind to him. Yami smiled at the King, no doubt or hesitation cloud his voice. "Yes, Seto, I want to be your key." He leaned up to meet his lover's lips._

Outside his dream world, Yami smiled in his sleep_._

* * *

Seto woke up groggily, unsure if he'd even slept at all. The previous night had been rougher than he thought. He froze when he felt an abrupt shift from the body next to him. The brush of bare skin made him groan until he shifted his position to get a good look at the condition of his sleeping partner. Yami was still unconscious, but his eyes weren't shut as tightly, nor were his breathing as raspy and heavy, as they had been the previous night. A small smile graced his lips in between breathing, but the flush of fever still danced across his face. Carefully, Seto leaned over and pressed his lips to Yami's forehead while the back of his claws ran down the boy's chest and stomach. He frowned slightly at the warmth of his forehead but smiled when the frosty touch of the boy's skin had faded back to its core temperature.

"Thank God." Seto expelled a breath of relief, and fished around for a robe or something to throw on. He refused to embarrass his staff when Ryou and Duke returned to check on Yami's health. He found a large, dark blue robe with two slits in the back sitting on the dresser with a note from Malik. He donned it, making a mental note to thank the tailor later, and lied down on the bed pulling Yami's shivering form closer to him.

He didn't have long to wait before the Botanist and chef arrived. Without a word, Seto let his precious rose go and let the men work.

"His core temperature is back up," Ryou explained feeling Yami's forehead, his chest and torso and moving outwards his arms and legs. "But it's too early to relax just yet. My prime concern is that fever." Ryou's hard brown eyes fell on the heavy red staining Yami's face when he rolled the boy onto his back.

"Is there anything you can give him?" Seto asked the botanist. Crossing his arms tightly, his wings twitched with nervous impatience.

Duke looked from Yami to his basket and bit his lip. "It's too dangerous to give him something while he's unconscious, but I might be able to come up with something external to reduce the fever."

Duke dug through his basket and pulled out a corked bottle of pale pinkish-yellow fluid. He carefully uncorked the bottle, filling the room with a thick, woody odor. He set the basket on the floor, poured a few drops on his palm and fingers. He pulled the blankets down with his free hand flinching when Yami started to shiver again and gently rubbed the oil over Yami's chest in smooth circles. The teen started to inhale deeply then started to calm down. Duke repeated the process once more when Yami's skin absorbed the oil, then wiped his hand on a wash cloth and recorked the bottle.

"Any more is too risky," he answered Seto before he could ask. "I'll brew up a tonic for when he wakes up, but for now I think it's best to keep him warm and keep getting his body temperature up. He still has the chill in him."

"How long?" Seto asked with grave eyes.

Ryou and Duke exchanged soulful glances then sighed. "I'd give him another day or two," Ryou answered. "If the hypothermia isn't out of him by then, then there isn't much else we can do."

Seto nodded and bowed his head back to his slumbering captive.

The two left without another word, leaving the two men along. Yami's breathing was still a bit heavy and his face still flushed but the chill of hypothermia made itself clear each time he shivered. Worry clouded his eyes. Yami had been fine before, why was he shivering now? Obviousness smacked him in the head like a blunt object. Yami had his warmth then, being away from it for so long had caused him to relapse. Seto growled and without a second thought began removing his robe. He slid back under the thick blankets and began piling them over Yami's bare arms and shoulders. His wings wrapped around the teen and he pulled Yami closer.

He gently rubbed his back in hopes of soothing him. The winter green paste Duke had used left a sharp, pungent stench in Seto's nostrils, but the aroma seemed to calm Yami a little. A deeper sigh left Seto when Yami's shivering started to lessen and finally stop. He smiled graciously when he felt Yami snuggle deeper into his warmth and felt him smile against his skin. He placed a gentle kiss to his forehead. Still too warm, but at least his body wasn't as cold.

Shifting closer to the body, he gently stroked Yami's cheek taking in the sweet smile and the faint rosy color in his cheeks. His claws tenderly brushed over the soft, warm lips and traced the sloping curves of Yami's cheek bone. He jumped suddenly when he felt Yami burrow deeper into his warmth. He couldn't help but chuckle. Yami was the last person he'd expect to be a cuddly person, but Seto wasn't one to complain. He gently brushed the sleek tri-colored tresses with his claws, smiling as the silk strands wove around his claws. His tail carefully moved under the blankets and coiled over Yami's hip and side like a snake. Anything to draw life back into Yami's body.

For the first time in his life, he was grateful for this dragonic body. The cursed form he had always hated was now the prime thing keeping Yami alive. Even now he could feel his body heating up to combat the cold it felt when Yami pressed against it, and he held him tighter to force the warmth back to its source. Never before did Seto not feel like a monster. Despite his staff's encouragement and Yami all but forcing him to see the truth, a small sliver of doubt kept a leech-like grip on his heart leaking its poison into him. The reminder that no matter how much Yami cared for him, Seto could never have such a precious gem in his arms as his own. The fact that he was, physically, still a monster was more than enough shatter the fragile hope he'd been building.

Never did he consider himself more than what he was: a man imprisoned in the form of a dragon; neither one nor the other but something dismal in between. He never dared to see the beauty of his form, to experience the gift of flying blessed upon a winged creature, or realize the effortlessness it took to save another's life, or the possibility that his form could do more than hurt, let alone give life. Yet somehow, Yami did. He never looked at Seto with fear or disgust. It was strange to say the least. Even stranger to dare to hope that the emotions stirring within him were more than simple care. That maybe, just maybe, the walls be built around himself had faded without his knowledge and that he'd begun to do the one thing he knew—or at least he thought he knew—was impossible: fall in love. How or why or even when it happened no longer mattered, Seto doubted he could even pinpoint exactly, but he had found the one person in the world who could understand him. He was sure of that now.

However, the danger still nipped at their heels. Even now Yami was far from safe. Even if his rose woke up, did he dare admit his feelings? What if these emotions were simply concern or gratification? Would they vanish once Yami regained his health? No, he couldn't take such a risk. Not unless he was positive of himself as well as his heart. Yami deserved that, at least. That way, even if Yami didn't feel the same, Seto could die knowing he'd found the one thing he desired most.

Again, he kissed Yami's forehead and settled back into the comforting embrace of his presence, memorizing as much of the peaceful moment as he could, and believing, for once, that it would last.

* * *

_But his lover didn't kiss him back. Instead he turned his head, as if startled by a strange noise. Yami blinked and looked at his companion bewildered, even more so when his companion stood up hastily. His eyes focused on something foreign in the distance._

_Before Yami could ask what was wrong his savior broke into a run._

"_Wait! Come back!" Yami called and chased after him, determined not to lose his lover once again. The hillside vanished and before he knew it he was chasing the Dragon King through a field covered in long grass and speckled in wild flowers that curled and blackened as they died. He wasn't sure how long they continued to run, but Yami refused to let the distance between them increase. Finally, his Dragon King leapt off the hill and vanished behind it. Yami could see his wings and head peeking over the greenery. The Dragon King had stopped in a small clearing, his back still towards Yami, but his wings had fallen limp behind him. _

_Yami felt a surge of relief when he made it to the hillside and opened his mouth to call to the Dragon King, but the words were quickly replaced by a scream. At the base of the small hill lied the corpses of all the members of the castle. Red splotched their bodies and their glassy eyes were all frozen open. Thorny rose vines with withered, blackened blooms contorted around their spread arms and bodies like gruesome natural crucifixes. The corpses of roses and vines littered the area like thorny green skeletons speckled with blood shinning like scattered rubies against the black ground. In the center, where the ring of thorns and dead roses died was a circle of scorched earth, vacant of vegetation as if life knew better than to dare accumulate in that circle._

_And that was where he found his Dream Lover, his Savior, his Dragon King— shaking and collapsed to his knees as if every movement hurt him. His beautiful wings, reduced to tattered strips of bleached leather, his clothes ripped to shreds and blood speckling the visible skin and scales. He turned to Yami with sad, pleading eyes, as if begging him for help, but was either forbidden to speak or didn't have the strength too._

_It was then he heard a laugh like ice cracking on a frozen lake. Yami's blood froze in his veins. He knew that laugh he followed the crackling sound to the man standing in front of his weakened lover. "Get away from him!" Yami yelled, entering the clearing. There, he saw the same whine colored clothing and icy khaki eyes of the man who tried to kill him. Rage boiled in his blood as he suddenly recognized who he was._

"_You!" Yami screamed in furry! "You're behind all this!"_

_The man said nothing. He just smiled a curled, mocking smile that set Yami's blood ablaze. His natural protective instincts and anger took over. Sparks crackled to life in his hands forming teardrops of flames around his fists. _

"_Ah, so you've discovered your power. Too bad it won't do you any good," he mocked the teenager, laughing._

_Yami saw red. "I said get away from him!" Yami screamed throwing his hands forward, palms open. Tongues of flames shaped like dragons burst from his spell, roaring at their victim. _

_But the man didn't flinch. His smile never faltered. Then he threw back his cape and raised a hand. The dragons collided and he blocked the attack with ease. Yami's eyes bulged out of his skull. "Impossible."_

_The man just laughed. When he brought his hand down again the flames and sparks retracted, forming a giant spell that bounced back towards it source. Yami barely had time to scream before he was thrown backwards with such force he skidded against the ground. He coughed and groaned, aching from the force of his own spell._

"_You can't save them, you know!" The man's voice echoed dramatically around from everywhere. Yami shot up and turned to the closest corpse: Syrus was lying only a few inches from Jaden with their fingers just shy of touching. He got to his feet and crawled over to the boy's body and gently reached to touch it. He retracted his hand when it suddenly lit with a pearly outline. Similar glows surrounded each body, glowing like a ring of lights._

_The Dragon King screamed, falling over and clawing at the ground, until his wails transformed into a dragon's cry of agony. The lights clustered together above their respective victims spiraling into single orbs then, like a galaxy of stars, blazed through the air all spiraling towards a single center: above the screaming and writhing Dragon King. His limbs and back contorted. His spine cracked and the scales of his arms, legs and back began to spread until they covered his entire form. He was no longer a man, but a human sized dragon._

"_No!" Yami screamed and rushed to him, but streaming lights stopped him. The Sorcerer crackled like a madman, his laughter increased in volume as all of the lights came together in his hand. Around him Yami could see the transparent ghost of each victim kneeling over their own corpses, weeping bitterly. Some of them shrieked from despair, others just looked at him with dead, glassy eyes vacant of all emotion._

"_I told you boy. You can't save them," the Sorcerer chided, mockingly. When the lights died away it revealed the object in his hand. A shiny box carved from a bright blue sapphire and fringed with gold. Yugi's heart stopped in his chest. The music box._

_His eyes fell on the dragon, writing on the ground. He groaned as he moved, until their eyes met. The Dragon King's eyes were the only thing that was still human: large, rounded, circular pupils and bright blue, pleading for him to run. To save himself._

"_He'll never be yours, you know." The Sorcerer walked towards him. Yami took a shaky step away from him suddenly overcome by a nameless fear. The Sorcerer's smirk widened as he stepped closer, his intent naked in his eyes. Yami took another step back and stumbled over his own feet and landed on his rump but he continued to back away from the man. _

_The Sorcerer laughed at his efforts and leaned closer so his icy eyes burned straight into Yami's. "Even if you give yourself to him: mind and body and soul, he can give you his heart, he can give you his body, but his soul…and theirs" he gestured with his arm to the ring of corpses, his grip on the music box dangerously tight. "Are _mine_!"_

_He crushed the music box in his hand._

* * *

Electric fear galvanized his heart and mind to life and Yami shot up panting. Only when he confirmed he was back in his room, and that the contents of his subconscious experience hadn't actually happened, did he calm down.

"A dream," he concluded, running a nervous hand through his damp bangs. "Or a premonition?" His fingers curled against his forehead. He prayed it was the former and not the later. Just the thought of it coming true sent a shiver of horror through his spine. However, when he shivered again, he realized it was from cold. His hands immediately flew to his shoulders and began rubbing his chest, hoping to bring warmth back to his form. He felt nothing between himself and the blankets confirming his suspicions that he was naked. A jolt of alert brought his senses into focus when he felt something wrapped around his torso and a leathery texture pressed against his back and sides. He'd never been modest, but the sudden lover-like embrace sent a blush of embarrassment and fear surging through him. He couldn't remember how'd be gotten there. He knew he'd been sick, he still felt the weakness in his limbs and his weary body was abnormally pale. Unfortunately, his last clear memory was falling through the ice when he'd been skating with Jim and the boys, the rest were hazy recollections.

He heard a light purring next to him, reminding him that he wasn't alone in the bed. Fear of what he might have done compelled him to simply slip away, but desire to know the truth compelled him to accept his actions. Slowly, unwillingly, he turned around and looked down—and found himself wrapped in the arms and wings of the slumbering Dragon King.

Unable to contain himself any longer, a loud high-pitched, mortified shriek tore itself from his lungs. The sudden scream zapped the Dragon King to life and he tried to take a battle stance but found the bed he was in two small for his massive form and instead he stumbled and collapsed in a mass on the floor, wrapped up in the roll of Yami's comforter. "Ow, blast it!" he swore getting up, forgetting his lack of dress. He yelped and leapt into the air when his upper back and head were attacked. He whirled around and braced himself for a fight only to discover his assailant was a pillow. Confused, he followed the source and resisted the urge to snort in amusement when he found Yami bunched up, back pressed against the head board on the other side of the bed. He clutched remaining comforter in his fist and held it to his chest like he was trying to merge the cloth with his skin. His free hand clutched braced himself against the mattress, clutching the sheets so tightly they started to rip. His eyes were narrow in embarrassed rage, his jaw twisted to a grit and his face was bright scarlet from shame.

"What the hell are you doing here!" he demanded turning redder when the comforter shifted, revealing some of his skin. He used his free hand to cover it up, still blushing and still glaring. "Why am I naked? Or a better question is why are _you _naked? And in my room? In my bed!" Yami was positive he had a permanent blush on his face by now.

Seto didn't answer. He had a blank look on his face, like was he momentarily stunned.

"Wha?" he questioned then looked down at himself. He grimaced at his own stupidity, scooped his robe off the floor, slid his wings through the slits, and clumsily tied it closed as he walked. It did little to cover him.

Yami's heart rate doubled in speed watching the near-naked dragon came closer. Questions that needed answers swam in his mind like fish trapped in a net and Seto's silence only increased his panic. Instinctively, he inched away as the Dragon King came closer. Finally, he back up too far and he fell straight off his bed and landed on his back, only adding to his humiliation.

Seto paused, waiting for him to get up. When he saw this, however, Yami scampered to his feet, taking the comforter with him and backed away. He cursed when his back hit the wall. He stuttered an order and pointed at his assailant, "What are your intentions?"

Seto still didn't answer his; his face was still vacant of emotion except for shock. He leaned closer and gently grabbed one of Yami's arms and held him steady despite Yami's yelps and stammering protests. "W-W-wait! Stop!" He closed his eyes tightly, and struggled in the king's grip until he felt the gentle touch of lips against his forehead. His eyes flew open and a small blush dusted his cheeks, but for a different reason. Before he could question the action, Seto removed his lips and replaced them with the back of his hand.

"Your fever's gone" Seto breathed, still in shock. He double-checked by feeling his own forehead taking into consideration the temperature differences between them. "You're still a bit warm, but it's definitely gone." The realization suddenly brought another concern to light. "You're awake!" Seto jumped.

Yami twitched. "Of course, I'm awake! Why wouldn't I be? Now for the last time, Seto what the hell is going-" he never got to finish the sentence. Seto cut him off by grasping his shoulders and pulling him into a tight, loving embrace like Yami would disappear if Seto loosened his grip. "Seto?" Yami asked confused.

"Thank Goodness," Seto released him and smiled at the confused boy.

"Seto," Yami asked again, bewilderment all over his face. "_What_ is going on?"

Seto stared at the boy like he was insane. "You…you don't remember?" Then he pinched the top of his nose, "Of course. Yami what's the last thing you remember?"

"Uh," Yami struggled to remember "I was skating with the boys and the ice broke, I think I fell in and, then it was all a blur. I remember a shadow, a light, and something…a voice calling out to me, but…I don't know if that was real or if I was dreaming…what does this have to—" the grave look in Seto's eyes cut Yami off.

"Yami," The King sighed, "You had hypothermia. You've been asleep for three days."

Yami was glad Seto was holding him since if he hadn't been Yami was sure he would've collapsed from shock. "I-what?"

"You were unconscious and freezing. Everyone was worried sick. Thankfully, my body heat managed to get your core temperature back up. Thank God dragon's blood is warmer than a human's."

"Seto," Yami cut him off. The sharpness in the boy's eyes and the gravity in his voice demanded the truth. "What happened?"

Seto frowned, but didn't look away. His face was conflicted as if torn between two decisions that both promised a negative end. "I was hoping you could tell me, I didn't see what happened. I just dived in to save you, after I saw—" Seto stopped himself. "Nothing."

"Seto," Yami looked at the ground. "You saw _him _didn't you? The man with the green eyes?" He asked, but in his mouth it was a statement.

Seto shot up. "How do-" He stuttered in disbelief.

"The night I…ran away," he explained with a frown, like he'd been keeping a terrible secret and had no choice but to reveal it to prevent devastation. "He…well, he made it obvious what he wanted, when I escaped him…he sic'd that beast on me, didn't he? That's why you came to save me, wasn't it? You knew it was him? He did something again, didn't he? With that monster in the lake?"

Seto's hands fell limp at his sides and stumbled backwards until he was sitting on the mattress. He opened his mouth to speak but no sound would come out. The words died in his throat.

Yami's expression hadn't changed. Instead he leaned over and put a hand on Seto's knee so they were face to face. "Seto, I need to ask you something, and I _need _you to tell me the truth alright?" The gravity in his voice was rivaled only his Yami's sheer fear of the truth. Seto nodded. He said nothing but his eyes promised Yami the world. "That night, you and I saved each other, tell me…" Yami paused and bit his lip, almost reluctant to find out the answer. "Did I kill that monster with fire magic?"

Sensing the desperation in his plea, Seto answered "Yes, you did."

Yami didn't look surprised. Instead he fell to his knees, his arms at his sides, allowing the comforter to pull around his hips. His long bangs and mop of hair shadowed his eyes, but Seto caught the smile on his face. "Yami?" Seto knelt down in front of him, his wings braced to comfort him, but Yami just chuckled darkly. "So it _did _happen. That explains it."

"Explains what?" Seto asked confused, gently tilting Yami's chin so their eyes were even. He gasped in surprise when he saw the tears glistening at the base of Yami's lashes, but his twisted smile hadn't faltered. "_Everything,_" Yami retorted, but regretted it when he saw the worry on the king's eyes.

Yami pulled away from him and pulled himself back so he was leaning against the wall. Feeling cold returning, he pulled the comforter up and wrapped it around his shoulders. "Remember when I told you I'd been dreaming of this place? Of the White Dragon"

Seto nodded.

"Well, that wasn't all. I didn't believe it at first but, I'd been dreaming about this castle, before it was cursed. Every time it's the same dream. The white castle and I'm in a field of roses. Sometimes I'm in the woods being chased by a monster, but I always come back to that castle. _This _castle. Even before I came here."

Seto's eyes widened but he didn't interrupt Yami.

"But I'm never alone." Yami met his eye. "There's always someone with me. A dragon saving me from the monster or a man with blue eyes." He paused and waited for Seto's reaction. He chuckled when Seto's dragonic eyes bulged making the slits look wider. Yami ran a hand through his gold forelock. "Looking back I can't believe I didn't realize it earlier…maybe it was because they always ended before I got to see who it actually was. I still didn't figure it out until you pulled me out of the lake…It was _you_, Seto. I'd been dreaming about _you_." His hands started shaking and he looked at the floor, unable to look Seto in the eye. "After I arrived here, they started becoming clearer and clearer. Then, suddenly they started coming true. Three days ago, when I fell in the lake, I _saw _it! I saw it in a dream! And then it happened? And now…now, I'm convinced somehow they're real. My dreams, my magic," he looked at his shaking hands, remembering how it felt when sparks flew between them. "Now, I'm convinced something terrible will happen, and the worst part is I don't think I can stop it."

Seto couldn't take anymore and rushed to the teen's side. He gently ceased Yami's shoulders and pulled him closer. He hadn't failed to notice the tears abandoning his face. "Yami, shush. Don't worry about that. They're just dreams" Seto soothed, stroking Yami's bangs away from his face and gently running the smooth backs of his claws over his cheek to brush away the tears.

Yami shook his head and whipped his eyes with his arms, angry at himself for his lack of control, but the tears of fear and sheer helplessness refused to stop. "They're not dreams, Seto!" The volume and intensity, caused Seto to fall back from shock. "And I was naïve to think they were!" Yami's fist shook in rage next to him and his wild eyes were bright with unrivaled certainty. "I know about the curse, Seto," he whispered, trying to look away, but found he couldn't. "I pretended not to because no one likes to talk about it, but I know. And I know him…that man, sorcerer, whoever he is he's behind it, isn't he? And if you don't break the curse by spring he's going to take you soul, right! Tell me!"

Seto said nothing, but his neutral mask spoke more than a thousand words. "How did you know it was spring?" Seto asked, flatly. "I never even told Chazz that."

"The roses," Yami replied, closing his eyes. "Every time I see the castle there are roses blooming everywhere. This far north, roses bloom in early spring. That's when it happens. I keep seeing it happen; only this time I tried to stop it, but I couldn't. I—" Yami bit his lip to keep from losing control. "I won't let that happen."

"Yami," Seto tried to protest but Yami cut him off.

"Just wait," he asked. Seto obliged. "I know no one can reveal the details of the curse or how to break it, even you, but that doesn't matter. I'll find a way. And Seto," Yami shifted his position so he and Seto were face to face. Tears glittered on Yami's eyelashes, but he was smiling, happily, making Seto more confused. "I don't regret coming here. Or choosing to stay. Being here with you, the boys, everyone…I've never been happier than I am when I'm here. Everyone here is so wonderful; no one's treated me like an outcast. And…" he paused for a moment, but no doubt or hesitation clouded his voice when he spoke next. "Whenever I'm with you, I can't explain it but…" Yami smiled brightly, gently whipping aside a joyful tear. "I'm happier than I've ever been in my entire life."

Reading the bewildered and almost blank look on Seto's face the entire time he spoke, Yami didn't know how Seto would react to his declaration. The moment Yami finished his sentence Seto pulled Yami into his arms and rested his chin on Yami's shoulder. At first, the sudden embrace surprised him, but Yami could feel the warmth and the passion behind it radiating against their bare skin. "Seto?" Yami questioned, but it was more a statement of happiness than a voice of concern.

"I don't care about that stupid curse," Seto whispered against Yami's skin. Yami blinked and gently pulled away, confused. Seto just smiled at him and wrapped his arm around Yami's still covered waist and stroked his cheek. "I mean it. Even if I lose my soul; even if I spend the rest of eternity in hell, I don't care. That bastard can do whatever he wants to me, it won't change anything. Do you know why?"

Of course, Yami didn't. Again Seto smiled. "Because I'll always be able to take this with me." Yami's widened at what the man was implying and a slight pink color rose in his cheeks. Seto chuckled and hugged him tighter. "You've made me happier too, Yami. Happier than I'd ever thought possible. I'd given up hope that I'd ever be happy again." He pulled away to look Yami in the eye and pressed their foreheads together. "And I'm not going to lose that or throw it away for anything. So I promise you, no matter what gets thrown in my way or who stands in front of me, I promise I'll protect you with every fiber of my being. _Nothing_ is going to take you away from me, my desert rose. _Nothing._"

Yami didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Tears burst from his eyes and laughter exploded from his mouth. He threw his arms around Seto's neck and hugged him with such force the King was taken off guard and his scaled spine and wings crashed against the bed frame. They both laughed at the action, but when their eyes opened and locked once more, they wasted no time and closed the distance between them. Lips molded perfectly over the other, Yami's arms wrapped tightly around Seto's neck and shoulders. Seto's wrapped around Yami's waist pressing the blanket still wrapped around Yami's hips and torso, closer to his flesh. One hand stroked up Yami's upper back. His tail twitched at his side.

The kiss slowly turned deeper. His body moving on its own, Seto kept one arm around Yami's waist and the other clutched the bed and hoisted himself up. His arm repositioned Yami so he was holding him bridal style with one arm. Yami's arms tightened around him, not wanting to break away just yet. They finally paused to breathe when they fell back against the mattress. Seto hadn't failed to notice how lovely Yami looked sprawled out beneath him: face flush, one arm level with his head the other at his side, eyes half-lidded with passion, his chest rising and falling with each deep breath.

Seeing that the man above him wasn't moving, Yami leaned forward and kissed Seto passionately. He pulled him closer against him, urging him to move. Seto obeyed. His body was now flush against Yami's; their arms wrapped around the other. The loose knot of his robe had come undone long ago. The comforter, the only thing separating them, slipped further down Yami's waist until it finally settled just above his hips.

"Rise and Shine you too! Duke and I made tea," Bakura burst through the door, balancing a tray with a large steaming tea pot and several tea cups in one hands and used the other to pry Jesse, Syrus and Jaden off his waist. Malik suddenly shoved the articles he'd been holding into Chazz's arms and tried to help pry the servants off the chef.

The sudden commotion brought the two men back to reality. Their eyes flew to the spectacle which froze the instant it turned its attention to the two on the bed. All of their eyes flew open at the sight of their Master, robe opened and sprawled on top of their guest, who was in nothing but a bed sheet. Bakura's hand titled causing a tea cup to roll off the tray and crash to the floor.

Ruby and sapphire eyes widened in petrified horror. The servants just stared, too shocked to do anything else. Suddenly, the entire East Wing erupted in eight different, horrified screams.

No one noticed the red eyes peeking through the crack in the curtains.

* * *

Blood smeared the white knuckles when they made contact with the thick wood. "Damn," the Sorcerer hissed. "Damn," he said louder, retracting his hand. "DAMN!" He hollered banging his hands furiously against the tree. His entire body shook with rage at the evidence his newest spy brought him. "I waited too long." He pulled himself away from the free and covered his face with his hand. "Now it's only a matter of time before that tramp gives into his seduction. Damn!" He banged the tree again, than composed himself and pulled the hood of his cloak over his pale hair. He watched the cut of his hand swell and bubble until perfectly healed skin was revealed.

"I waited too long. The _second_ I suspected he had gypsy blood I should've acted!" His growl morphed into a roar. "Damn to the depths my lust and pride!"

He'd knew he'd taken a heavy gamble when he decided to change his strategy, but it was too difficult to resist such a tempting specimen, especially since if his seduction proved a success it would devastate the Dragon King more than a thousand of the most vicious monsters. Now, his miscalculation had caused him a major setback; worse when it became clear exactly _who_ this mysterious specimen was. "Hmhm," he chuckled darkly.

It had been easy to ignore the first instance as a single occurrence. It wasn't uncommon for humans to discover untapped abilities in traumatic or near death situations. Many people held biological connections to magical ancestors. The religions might have changed, but the blood certainly didn't, he himself was proof of that. Still, many lines had become so thinned by mundane human blood any inherited power could only be tapped through stress or shock and usually only once. But the skills used to defeat his monsters, the premonitions, of the Dragon King and himself no less? No, it was too much to be a coincidence.

"Damn that gypsy whore! She's dead and she still continues to be a thorn in my side," he cursed, loudly. A wicked smile curled across his lips as he approached the road. The raven sat immobile like a statue on his shoulder awaiting instructions. "No, matter, she failed then and she'll fail now. I'm running out of time, and I'll be damned it I let some god damned gypsy whore destroy over one hundred years of patience and hard work! You," He thundered to the crow.

It shot up and waited for orders. "Watch them," he commanded. "If they do anything together, inform me _immediately. _I don't have much time to carry out the next stage of my plan, until then…" he threw the bird into the air and watched it sink like a stone before the shadows warped it into a bat that flapped away into the night. The Sorcerer's grin widened. "To Hawkins Hollow it is then," he chuckled than burst out laughing when he came to the main road.

He turned around taking one last look at the castle rising in the distance. "Enjoy your concubine while it lasts, Kaiba. He may fancy you…" He smirked recalling the conversations his spies had recorded. Episodes of the life the boy had forsaken to appease the dragon's wishes. Memories of a high-ranking woman who fancied him. Of the childhood instances experienced in Hawkins Hallow. Of the brothers he'd sacrificed himself for, who were no doubt still terrified for their brother's safety. "But he's no different than any other human when it comes to sacrifice."

* * *

So yeah...I nice little near-lime and a good laugh for all of you after all the fear and drama I've put you through before I remind you once again never to trust happiness when it comes to me.. (evillaugh) Anyone wanna guess what the still unnamed and unknown Sorcerer has in mind?

Also, I noticed I make Yami cry a lot in this which is both hard and pretty good since he's such a strong character, but I think even Yami has the right to be over emotional once in a while, but yeah given the both of them and the amount of fluff in this chapter (though at this point in the story I think its kinda alright) I just wanna double check and make sure everyone is still in character and it makes sense or they're not going to fast but anyway...

As always enjoy the chap and let me know of your comments and critiques.


	23. Chapter 22: The Game of Plots

Nineteen Days since I last updated this chapter (bangs head on desk)

This is mostly cause FK was giving me hell and the new chap ended up so long it'll be too chaps as soon as i get it back from my Beta, also my original plan for chapter 22 hit a huge block, much to my dismay, but now that i've gotten this done and updated and FK will be updated thursday with TWO chaps i am so happy i am on Fire! WOOHOO!

Enjoy the chapter, its a bit shorter than the others but I think you'll all like it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Dedication: Mitzumi for being an awesome beta and getting this back to me in less than a day.

As always, read, review, comment, critique, ask questions and go nuts.

* * *

Chapter 22: The Game of Plots

Water exploded each time the raging sorcerer stomped his feet. The rain raged as wild as his temper. He didn't bother covering his frightful appearance and continued to storm through the streets in a furry. His nails were cracked, his hands covered in dirt and his coat in tatters and splotched with mud from the fit he'd thrown earlier. Wet mud caked his boots and soaked the hems of his pants, reducing the carefully woven thread to scruffy rips. Rain streaked his face and matted his beautiful hair so it stuck to his face and neck in thick, itchy clumps. His soaked coat hung unflatteringly around his suit soaking his clothes to the bone, but he didn't care. He'd long since lost his ability to feel wet or dry or hot or cold. A small price to pay in order to obtain the dark arts that restored him to power.

The Dark arts that served as the only means to restore his power after his humiliation at the hands of the traitors; but he took back what they stole. Destroyed those with the audacity to defy him, and soon, very soon, the greatest price of them all, the very Dragon King who was the heart and the soul of that usurper'ous reign would be his as well. Thate gypsy whore be damned!

He was a fool to let it come this far. Foolish to underestimate that cursed dragon and his lust. He should've known the King was heartless enough to mercilessly seduce such a magnificent specimen of a man and even more than the boy would be unable to resist his temptations. The last encounter was more than proof enough. It was only a matter of time before the king robbed the child of his virtue. It was only out of desire to save the boy's soul that he spared his life, but once it became clear the boy's contamination had run too deeply for him to be saved the next logical step was to kill him. Again, his kind efforts had failed because of that monstrous dragon. At first he'd wanted to rescue the helpless child. Now he saw the truth. And he'd be damned if he'd let some God damned gypsy whore destroy over a hundred years of work.

Too long, he'd worked to ensure the true heir to the kingdom to be restored and set the chaos right. Too long he'd studied his enemies, learned their secrets, discovered their weaknesses, and planned his attack finding, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Too long he'd worked and too long he waited to see the magnificent day when both his glory and his honor would at long last be granted. Finally, his rightful destiny would at long last be fulfilled and all those filthy traitors finally reaped the rewards of their betrayal. And he'd be damned if he let some scrawny little whore destroy a whole century of retribution and hard work.

The foulness of his mood dimmer slightly when he caught sight the faint blue and silver sign hanging overhead with the words Hawkins Hallow in bright gold letters.

At last, now he could put the second phase of his plan into action. Once he entered the town, his cold eyes scanned the empty cobblestone streets and dimly lit houses. Water rushed from gutters and over fogged up windows. Rivers of water flooded drain pipes, no doubt to keep the town from flooding during such a heavy downfall. The town was small and quaint, childishly so. Houses made of traditional wood in lighter colors with darker edgework and driftwood roofs. Signs hung from metal railings and large windows spoke of stores. Streets were free of trash and alleyways remained clear and dark. Perhaps one point, it could've even been considered a farming town or a trading town: small enough to know everyone's business, but still large enough to attract enough attention from the outside world to keep it alive and wealthy. Now, of course, it seemed bleak and dull. Mediocre, even. The place had over a hundred years to change, and yet it was still the same. Even the Duke's mansion that once shined with splendor was now dull and overly lavished as if to be the single orchid in this wasteland.

He snorted in disgust. It hadn't surprised him that the formerly glorious town had sunken into such distress in his hundred year absence that it even allowed a weak, feeble-minded woman to inherit its ruling. He'd been even more repulsed to learn the new Duchess was nothing more than a spoiled, unmarried child. The girl would do better being a courtesan. That was one of the first things that he planned to change when he returned to power. Women were as worthless as they were stupid. That was precisely why he'd orchestrated his curse the way it was. No woman would be stupid enough to fall for a monster like a dragon. They would all just faint, or run screaming like scared, meek little girls. Of course, that damned repulsive King would discover such a loophole.

His hand wrenched at his hair. A loud, dark chuckled escaped his throat. He remembered the boy running from him, running straight back into that bloody dragon's bed, no doubt. How could he have been so stupid? How could he not have foreseen that bitch would find some sort of loophole to his spells? She'd done it once already. He growled in rage, then smirked recalling the softness beneath his fingers when his hand touched the boy's skin.

Such a shame he had to die. But the dragon's venom had run too deep. It was only a matter of time before the boy gave in to the Dragon's seductions. Once the dragon consummated, then it would only be a matter of time, before the boy was tricked into believing he was in love long enough to break the spell. At this point, it would be impossible to free him from the spell the dragon has cast over him. If the sorcerer waited any longer everything he'd worked for would be destroyed. Oh, such a shame. One so beautiful and so perfect deserved a much better fate then to be the whore of a dragon or as the duchess' trophy.

The fact that he needed the help of a woman disgusted him. Nonetheless, the Duchess would no doubt be the perfect pawn: naïve, mindless and completely unaware she was being manipulated so long as it looked like she was in charge and ultimately received what she wanted in the end: glory, more adoration from her peers, and, of course, her knight in shining armor. And best of all, such a girl had a significant amount of influence among the commoners and would make sure no one took too kindly to the 'dragon' stealing one of the town's more popular maidens—or lads in this case.

A sinister grin spread its way across his face. Ah, the advantage and idiocy of such locations. People lived out their carefree lives in bliss and ignorance, completely unaware of their own stupidity as they endlessly filled their days with gossip and offered themselves the illusions that they were better than everyone else just because they had money, influence or some other material nonsense. Oh, what he would give to see their faces when they saw just how pathetic they truly were. The looks on everyone's faces to be told flat out told of their ignorance and stupidity. The sightte of such a look on the Dutchess' face when she learned who he truly was, told her what her true value actually was when he removed her from her status send a shiver of delight through his rain soaked form. He couldn't wait to finally remove that pathetic duchess. To show her just how worthless and meaningless her "power" really was. How limited and minimal. Sinister laughter filled the air as he voiced his amusement! Humans were so stupid: proud, arrogant, ignorant and stupid. It was a real treat to break them completely by drilling those little facts into their tiny brains.

But he couldn't laugh about that now. He had a mission to accomplish.

He approached the mansion with a mixture of dread and apprehension. He paused when he saw no carriage but two short figures in cherry cloaks, rushed out of the Duchess' mansion draped in water resistant garments. One voiced her discontent with the awful weather much louder than her meeker companion. Judging by the way, she was careful to remain behind her mistress, it was easy to assume the meeker girl was a servant. Curious, he hid in an alleyway and watched as they rushed by, desperate to escape the rain. Judging by the way the leader carried herself, she was the Duchess. Blond hair peeked beneath the hood of her robe, and she swaggered with authority determined to maintain her dignity even in such atrocious weather. A lavender haired girl trekked behind her, struggling to keep up with her mistress' pace. She grabbed her knees and panted heavily, unable to keep up.

"Rebecca, you know I would never question you, but you have completely lost your senses! Trusting that man! He's a child broker, he's out of his mind!" the girl pleaded, her voice ached with pained desperation. Rebecca? His ears perked at the new information. So _this _was the Duchess. The fact the girl was not but a spoiled child didn't surprise him in the least.

"I need him for my plan to work, Miho. He's a man of his word, regardless of his position." The blond girls' voice was more sophisticated and snobbish, but calculating and political. That of a Duchess, oh yes, this was clearly the girl he'd been looking for. The Sorcerer licked his lip. Oh, how perfectly everything had just fallen into his lap. Clearly, the higher powers were on his side.

"But to have him take away, Yugi? Rebecca, I know how deeply you desire Yami as you husband, but if you go through with this plan the only thing you will earn is his scorn! You know how important his brothers are to him to threaten them will only ensure his hatred not his love." Again the girl tried to pleadse with heris mistress, butr the Duchess turned around and gave the girl a look so frightening she was silenced in an instantce.

"I told you Miho, I will have Yami as my husband and if I must take drastic measures to make him see sense, I shall. Besides, his brothers are holding him back. Had the old man not dtied, he would feel no obligation to protect them, and Atem as well. Putting Yugi in a fosterman's care would benefit all three of them. Besides he'll be an adult in less than a few years, it's not like it would be a permanent arrangement."The Duchess justified, silently ordering her servant to follow. The girl bowed her head obediently and followed her with timid steps.

The Sorcerer rose a surprised eyebrow. Perhaps he'd been wrong about this woman. She was certainly trained in the dance of politics. Perhaps her fate would not be so bleak after all. Had she not been born a woman, she might have even been a trusted advisor. So sad.

He left his hiding place and carefully followed the two women in the shadows. Their conversation intrigued him. He didn't know the whore had a family—one he cared for rather deeply it seemed. He also hadn't expected the Duchess to be so ruthless in her pursuit. He smirked as he walked. Depending on how this played out, he might have one less fabrication to worry about.

* * *

"Damn them to the depths and back!" Atem hollered slamming the door to his house shut. It screamed in protest as it suffered the force of his anger. The only thing the village idiots were good for was gossip and apparently Rebecca's dismissal of Yami's fate had spread faster than an infectious plague. So much now even other towns were mocking him. No matter where he went to who he begged to help him, he was simply laughed at for his jesting. One of them even suggested he join his brothers and write children stories.?

A frustrated hand ripped at Atem's gold bangs. He stormed into the kitchen, his angry steps echoing loudly in the empty room.

"Fine!" Atem growled and started grabbing whatever his furious mind thought he would need and stuffed them into a bag he already had set up on the kitchen table. "If no one will help me, I'll find that castle and get him back myself!" He stuffed the bag with food, maps, and anything else. He strapped it tight and threw it over his shoulders, donned his thickest coat to keep out the freezing Hungarian winter air, his cloak and his heaviest boots. Once he was secure, he turned to the staircase and called loudly. "Yugi, I spoke with Mahado, you're gonna stay with him and Mana until I get back, is that alright?" His words echoed through the house, and he braced himself for his younger brother's fervent protests. Instead, he found only silence.

"Yugi?" Atem blinked. "Yugi!" He panicked, realizing Yugi hadn't run down stairs when he came inside crying and begging to know if anyone would help them like he'd done every time he came home over the last two months, when their previous attempts had ended in failure. Two months of trying, Atem and Yugi returned home only to discover the town was debating what to do with their house and shop now that they were gone.

It was only because of Atem's furry that the town would act so irresponsibly. Atem refused to leave their home unattended. Thus despite Yugi's protest, Atem left him behind to protect the shop under Mahado and Mana's care during the lonely nights.

"Yugi!" Panic rushed through Atem. He bolted from the stairs, checking each room on the ground floor, painstakingly for hist youngest brother. When his search failed and thundered up the steps. His eyes scanned each room, meticulously for any sign of the young boy. Atem's eyes widened when he entered his own room, since Yugi had been known to sleep there some nights when his worry became too much. Again he found it empty, even missing a few things. Realization made him sick, as he bolted upstairs, heading straight towards Yugi's room.

"He wouldn't. He couldn't." He panicked and threw the door open, panting. His heart sank into his stomach. The room was empty, but dressers were left open, empty of clothesse. His thick winter cloak was missing from the hanger as well as Yugi's thickest pair of boots. The only evidence that the boy had been there at all was a note left on the bed.

He grabbed with haste and read it as fast as he could. His organs sank and his eyes bulged with horror and fear as he skimmed each word., blotches with tears.

_Atemu,_

_If you're reading this then I'm already gone. I'm sorry I didn't wait until you came back but no one is going to help us, I know that now. I can't leave Yami to suffer in that horrible place. I can't. He only did so to protect me, so I decided I'm going to go back to that castle and no matter what I must do I will free Yami. No matter what. I've already taken more than enough remedy so I won't choke, so don't worry about me. _

_Please don't come after me, Atem, I know you and what you're planning. You'll try and switch places with Yami and I can't let that happen. Rebecca is right about one thing, you two have sacrificed everything for me, now it's mine turn to help you._

_I love you, nii-san._

_Yugi._

"Damn it!" Atem cursed, crushing the note in his hand, cursing his foolishness. His hands clenched the window as he looked outside. Though Winter was fading quickly, new frost still encased the ground. Winter was still dangerous and it was the most hazardous time of year for someone with Yugi's condition. "Shit! Shit! Shit! Yugi you stupid, selfless, ugh!" he screeched tying on his boots as he hopped down the hall, before finally falling over and stormed out the front door.

"If he dies, I'm going to murder him!" he screamed, bolting down the street and towards the woods for any sign of Yugi as he vanished into the night, not noticing or hearing the hammer of footsteps approaching his empty home.

* * *

"Atemu! Yugi! Yami!" Rebecca hollered as she shoved the door to the dark house open, not even bothering with chivalry. Miho timidly stepped inside behind her. The house was vacant of light and life. The lamps had burnt out, the doors were locked, and no sound echoed through the rooms.

"Where the devil are they? I thought Atem would be back by now!" The duchess screeched like an angry owl.

"They're not here, Rebecca." She quirked, timidly, not wishing to be on the wrong side of the Duchess' anger.

"This is ridiculous! How long do they plan on being gone? It's been four months!" Rebecca hollered throughout the house. She hissed in furious rage when no one answered her and cursed unladylike "Damn it!"

"Rebecca." Miho asked nervously. "You don't think…maybe…" she nervously rubbed her arms and flinched and looked at the floor when Rebecca's heated glare turned to her.

"Miho if you are going to say what I think you're going to say, I don't want to hear it! There is no such thing as dragons or castles or any of this nonsense! It was a lie! A trick of their minds! That's all!"

"But Rebecca, think of it!" Miho protested weakly. "Yami's been gone for almost four months. Ever since his disappearance Atem has been going around town and asking anyone to help him and Yugi's been doing the same thing, swearing on their lives that he's been kidnapped and taken hostage by this dragon. They've even gone so far as to seek help from other towns. Why would they keep this story of a 'dragon' kidnapping Yami going if it wasn't true? Or true in a sense. I mean, what if Yami really was kidnapped?"

Rebecca glared at the girl and opened her mouth to protest but found she could not. Instead, she stormed back through the door scowling. "Alright," she chuckled darkly. "Say this 'dragon' does exist and their story is true? Why would Yami stay with such a monstrosity?"

"Well as you said, Rebecca, he would do anything to protect his family correct?" Miho suggested. "Maybe, he was forced?"

Rebecca was about to scream again until a smooth voice interrupted her.

"Excuse me, ladies." The two women turned around. A tall man dressed in vibrant colors that made him glow in the darkness of the storm approached them. His hood shadowed his face and eyes and only pale streaks of red hair were visible.

"Forgive my forward intrusion, but I'm afraid I couldn't help but overhearing your plight—the plight of your town, and I think I may now what has befallen this unfortunate family."

The girls exchanged equal bewildered glances until Rebecca's gaze hardened and she returned her glare to the man. "And who are you?"

"My name of no importance to one of such caliber as yourself, my lady." He bowed respectfully. Rebecca soaked the flattery up like a sponge, but Miho shivered catching the sinister smile crossing the man's face.

"Know only that I wish to aid you. I have traveled much in my lifetime, seeking wisdom and the destruction of injustice. If this creature is who I fear we must act quickly or I fear this boy, your fiancé's fate, may already be sealed."

"What are you talking about? What will happen to my Yami?" Rebecca demanded!

"My entire life, my lady," The man began, "Has been devoted to the destruction of a terrible beast who is responsible for the downfall of my ancestors. A hundred years ago they ruled these lands until they were brutally betrayed by this creature. As punishment he was cursed to become a dragon and since then I have hunted him down in hopes of avenging my family's senseless destruction. It seems I have finally found him." He spoke with the passion of a tragic hero, but remained focused on their reactions. He could see they were both skeptical but there was fear evident in their eyes. Fear that he knew was the perfect fuel for creating an angry mob or a rebellion or an army to obey to one's will if it would promise the return of their safety.

"What does your personal crusade have to do with my fiancé?" Rebecca demanded, Miho's hands found her arm and squeezed it tightly, shivering at the frightening presence the man radiated.

"As I said, my lady, the dragon is a monster. He seeks an end to his curse, and unfortunately, that freedom includes the seduction of a beautiful and talented mortal. Apparently, he's learned that no woman shall fall for him so he's settled for this boy you've fallen for. Just you watch; he will descend his destruction on the entire town if given the chance!" The man spoke with the tone of a drama queen, emphasizing the destruction of the town and the word 'seduction'.

"No!" Rebecca screamed and thrashed in furry and rage. "Kill him! Destroy him! Slice off his head!"

"Calm yourself, my lady." The stranger soothed in a sophisticated voice that commanded obedience. "There is still time to save the boy and his family, but I need your help. Yours and this town's if you are willing to help me?" His eyes were soft and his voice pleading. "My only request is that you let me kill the monster. All I ask is to avenge my family, your lord shall be yours once more and whatever riches are in the castle, I'm wealthy enough that I have no need for such trivial things. All I seek is to avenge my family."

"Of course," Rebecca announced, throwing her cloak over her shoulder and howling her delight. "We must get to the town hall immediately. Miho, gather my council, tell them to rally the people, we have business to discuss and my fiancé to rescue!"

Miho shivered and nodded mutely, before rushing down the street desperate to get away from the man.

"By the way who shall I say you are when I explain you to the city?" The duchess turned to the man as she hauled after her maid.

"Oh yes, how rude of me," He bowed once again, something sinister and unearthly glowing in his eyes and a smirk, invisible in the darkness curled across his face. "Call me…" he paused until his mind conjured the perfect alias "Drachentöter."

* * *

Drachentöter = Dragon Slayer; prnounced: Drac-in-toot-er

This was originally meant to be chapter 23, but since I had some block for the original chapter 22 and since everyone had been expressing their curiosity about what was going on in town and what was happening to Yugi and Atem and Rebecca and all them, I figured now was as good a time as ever to bring them back.

XD Like the Sorcerer's alias? Originally, I had a name that was more cannon but decided it would give too much away so I decided to be mean and change it, and personally I like this one MUCH better, there is a huge hint to it though, can any of you guess what is it?


	24. Chapter 23: The Queen's Gallery

I FINALLY UPDATED THIS DAMN THING! Originally I wanted to update this two days ago, but it was really long and it took its toll on both me and my beta-who is AWESOME! but i just got it back and its up! THANK GOD!

Finally! After an insane battle, the Kuribohs and I won the war against this chapter, and I am so proud and happy with how it came out! My biggest fear was this would either become a filler or a sex education chap since i had to connect the last time we saw Yami and Seto, but it actually came out phenomenal, with an actual theme, I got a major step forward in their relationship, and got a lot accomplished with this chapter. And despite fighting two illnesses, insomia, sleep deprision, motivational and idea block AND editing this monster from 21 pages to 19 pages-I got it up with my sanity in tacked! WOOHOOO

Now be afraid people...cause I'm sane...VERY sane, and when i'm sane you should all be very, _very _afraid :iconevilgrinplz:

**Dedications: **Mitzumi: For once again being an awesome beta and getting this back to me so soon despite everything she's going through :glomp: I loev you Mitzumi! I really do!

Keara:For being one of my oldest friends on the BPS forum and for giving me some of the funniest and most entertaining reviews I've ever read. And cause I think you were the one who suggested Yami and Seto's ages coming up...Created an awesome scene!

Tori Da Ninja: You are so sweet,hun! Thank you for al the encouragment and get well PMs. Fans like you are why i love writing ^-^

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing...no one reads these things, i just add them to keep the adminstration off my back.

**WARNING: **Yaoi, and all that it implies: from two guys kissing and making out, to having full-blown sex (I don't like stating a warning just for lemons because I feel its an ENORMOUS spoiler, and I hate disrupting the story with those "read between the bols" things, so this is the only warning you'll get. Plus this story is rated M for language, fantasy violence, yaoi, sex, blood, character death and all that good stuff, so I feel at this point everyone know what to expect. Again I'm only doing this to stay out of trouble ;)

As always Read, review, critique, comment, go nuts and if you wanna flame, go ahead just tell me why or i'll ignore it. I can't WAIT to see the reviews for this one!

* * *

Chapter 23: The Queen's Gallery

"Oh, let's face it, Kaiba, this is _not _the worst thing we've caught you doing." Bakura groaned crossing his arms with mock annoyance, completely unaffected by his Master's incensed glare. Malik just slouched in his seat and pressed his fingers to his lower temple. Across from them Seto growled like a caged beast. His blue eyes blazed an angry navy. At the comment, Jaden, Syrus, Jesse and Chazz all looked at the floor or off into space, unable to look either man in the face without blushing.

Yami buried his mortified face in his hands, refusing to even meet the perverse Chef's smirk. After the…incident, between him and Seto had been interrupted by the Chef, Tailor and four servants, Yami had practically kicked everyone out of his room, grabbed the clothes Malik had bought him and locked himself in the bathroom in an embarrassed fit. Though he could still feel the chill of his illness, Yami felt an instant relief being fully clothed. Had he simply been naked when everyone arrived, he simply wouldn't have cared and changed into the clothes just as calmly as he had since the day he arrived, never finding any shame or embarrassment in his own form. However, being caught with his captor, the very Master of the Castle no less, in such a compromising position _that_ shattered the confident youth's entire demeanor. Though he admitted to being naïve in matters of seduction, he didn't deny that he'd enjoyed his time with the Dragon King before they'd been interrupted.

Right now, Yami just wanted to curl up and hide until he forgot this whole embarrassing fiasco was over. Despite the thick long-sleeved sweater, warm overcoat, pants, gloves and socks, Yami felt naked and exposed in front of everyone's awkward eyes. Unable to take anymore, he stood on wobbly legs and reached to pull on a pair of his discarded boots. Maybe he could hide in the library until everyone forgot about this; he wouldn't delude himself into thinking there was any chance Bakura wouldn't tell Ryou about this, or the whole castle for that matter. A couple weeks, maybe- yes, that would do it; he told himself pulling on a fur-lined snow boot and reached for the other but found it missing.

"And where do you think you're going?" He looked up and found his missing boot in Seto's hand. The Dragon King met his eyes with a disapproving look.

"To the Library," Yami said but in his mouth it was a question, again all eyes turned to him making him want to shrink away. He turned his head, keeping a proud face but the red stain marred its affect.

"The hell you are," Seto declared amused and gently shoved Yami's chest until he was lying on his bed. "You're still on bed rest until Duke and Ryou give you permission to leave. Until then you're health is still considered in danger."

"That's nonsense," Yami protested and tried to sit up, but was forced down again, his time by four pairs of hands, much to his bewilderment

"Are you nuts!" Chazz scolded, holding down Yami's left shoulder.

"Yeah, Yami. You fell in a freezing lake!" Jaden clamped onto the man's arm.

"And Ryou said you have to stay in bed." Syrus held onto Yami's waist tightly. "Besides, you're still healing. See? You're face's all flushed and red and stuff," Jesse added in a series of stutters.

Yami growled and used his freer lower body to lift his weight until he was standing, the action taking the four servants with him. "That's enough," Yami growled annoyed and tried to shake the four off but their weight on his arms made it difficult to move them. "Let me go!" he ordered, but the spectral boys held on with all their might.

Seto shook his head, amused by the sight. Bakura snorted to bite back a howl of laugher much to Yami's chagrin.

"Keep that up and he'll wear himself out, eventually," Malik snickered.

"This is not-ah!" Yami tried to sound threatening, but fell over and landed on his bed with a kuriboh, ruby carbuncle and two dragons crashing into his chest and lap. He growled angrily and tried to get up but Seto gently pushed him down so he lied flat on the bed, and carefully plucked the boys off him.

"As amusing as this is, they're right. You're staying in bed," Seto said sternly.

"That's not fair!" Yami protested sitting up. The action sent Jaden, who'd been sitting on his chest, flying backwards with a loud squeal. "I've been in bed for two days! I feel fine, I'm stiff as a board and I haven't eaten anything. The last thing I want to do is lie around in bed all day."

"Speaking of that," Bakura interrupted, scooping up the abandoned tea pot, poured the dark green liquid into a cup and shoved it into Yami's hands. "Ryou fixed this for you, in case you woke up, and you better drink the whole pot while it's still hot 'cause I'm not bringing you another one."

Yami opened his mouth to protest but after a hard look from Seto and Bakura and looks of concern from the boys, he sipped the hot tea. Heat immediately filled his being but he grimaced and stiffened at the strange combination of bitter, mint and sweetness crafting an unpleasant blend. He gasped after swallowing a large gulp and shuddered. "What's in this, Bakura?" he asked, pleadingly.

The chef plopped on to the edge of Yami's bed, ignoring the teen's disgruntled scowl. "Equal parts of yarrow, peppermint and elderflowers and some grated ginger root to get your blood flowing. Should knock that chill right out of your system." Bakura refilled Yami's cup with a wink. "And you better drink all of it, or you'll just break Ryou's heart."

Yami sank into the pillows and downed the cup quickly. His mouth and throat burned from the hot liquid and he felt heat suddenly flood into his system but the bland taste in his mouth made him feel sick. "Ugh, this tastes awful."

"Most things that are good for you are awful," Seto teased. "Like staying in bed and getting plenty of sleep."

Yami glared and opened his mouth to protest but was instantly silenced when Seto tilted his chin and kissed his cheek. Yami forgot to breathe. For a moment, he forgot everyone else was there.

Seto stepped away and gently placed the four stunned spirits in the equally stunned Bakura's lap, fished the comforter off the floor and draped it over Yami's body that was now propped against the pillows. He then took a thicker fur blanket Malik had left out from the previous night and added that as well, until his desert rose was safely tucked beneath the warmth. "I'll be checking on you every so often, so don't even think of getting up." Seto warned, kissing Yami's forehead and ushered his staff out the door. Malik smirked and dragged Bakura, comatose from shock, behind him. Jaden, Jesse, Chazz and Syrus were not far behind him. Once gone, Seto handed Yami a second tea cup. "Make sure you drink that as well. I don't want you dehydrating either. I'll ask Ryou to fix you something. I have no doubt the whole house will know you're awake by the time I get down stairs." Seto chuckled.

Monetarily breaking his trance, Yami shook his head and pulled on the neck of his thick sweater suddenly feeling very hot. "Can I at least open the curtain? Get some light in here? It's too stuffy," he complained; the thick air felt hot and bothersome.

Seto pondered for a moment before shaking his head. "Tell you what, I'll put the fire out, but that's all. Your immune system is probably still too weak, and the last thing I want is you catching pneumonia, too." He got up and opened the fire place across from Yami's bed. With a flap of his wings, the air blew out the flames. The resulting back wave sent a refreshing wind across Yami's front.

"Thank you." Yami said, but glared at the tea cup.

"Glaring at it won't make it go away you know," Seto chuckled. Yami growled in response.

"I really think this is all too much," Yami looked away with a turn of his nose and set the tea on the night stand.

"Perhaps," Seto removed himself from the fireplace and swept to his desert rose's side and kissed his forehead. "But I don't like taking chance with someone I care about." He smiled warmly.

Before Yami could answer, the Dragon King pulled away and left the room, a small smile on his face and he closed the door. Yami touched the cheek Seto had previously kissed and hissed at how cold his finger tips felt. A sudden lump in his throat made him start coughing, loudly, until he grabbed the tea and downed as much of it as he could without coughing. "Maybe tea wasn't such a bad idea." Yami grimaced and set the empty cup next to the still steaming tea pot.

Yami pulled off the thick sweater, leaving himself in just his cotton long-sleeved shirt, and gently tossed it to the end of the bed, before settling down beneath the thick covers and lied on his flat stomach. He rubbed his shoulders more out of confusion than cold. That had been the first time Seto had showed him any open displays of affection, let alone in front of his staff. Before, anything they'd done together had been in the shelter of the library or Seto's room. The most open they'd gone was probably the dining room or outside, but even then it was only when Seto was positive they were alone. Yami assumed that was for the sake of the servants since it must've been uncomfortable seeing their Lord and Master partake in such open displays of affection, let alone with another person—no matter how much they encouraged it.

A flush of heat darkened Yami's face when memories of that morning flashed before his mind. Embarrassment flooded his being at the memory of being caught. What they were about to do suddenly hit him with the blunt force of a sledge hammer. He buried his face in his pillow dug one hand beneath the pillows, and another through his sweaty bangs. Ryou's bitter tea was working after all, and the blush of the morning's events only made his body heat up unnaturally fast.

"What am I going to do?" he released a muffled moan and collapsed, as if sleep would erase all his confusion.

* * *

Yami groggily awoke an hour later to someone gently opening his door. He rubbed his sore eyes and pushed himself onto his elbows. When he looked up he found Tea removing the now cold teapot and replacing it with a tray containing a small saucer with wisps of steam pouring out the edge. "Sleep well?" she smiled.

"Better, thank you," Yami replied groggily his stomach gurgled at the sight of the food. It reeked of vegetables, sweetness and something harsher. The pungent combination reminded him of the tea from earlier; he grimaced in memory. Seeing the smiling face, he pushed himself into a kneeling position while Tea grabbed one of the nearby chairs and pulled it towards the bedside.

"I thought I'd keep you company." She folded her hands over he crossed knees. "You might want to eat something by the way. You've been asleep for quite a while."

"Thanks." Yami yawned and rolled around so he was now against the headboard. He pulled the bowl into his lap and blinked when instead of thick soup or vegetables, he found a thick, heavy mash of shredded, leafy greens mixed in a transparent yellow liquid.

"What is this?" Yami lifted the spoon with a questioning look. He grimaced watching the mush slop off the spoon. It didn't look edible, let alone like anything Bakura or Ryou made.

"Herbal blend." Tea giggled at the pale green color painting Yami's face.

"I'm not going to have to eat this, am I?" he asked, feeling his stomach churn at the sight of it.

"How else do you expect it to work?" Tea teased cradling her chin in her hands.

Yami sighed, taking a large spoonful, immediately feeling his stomach rebelling. He gulped and closed his eyes, hoping not looking at it would change its taste. He stuffed it into his mouth, reluctantly pulled out the spoon and swallowed in one gulp. His eyes snapped open, in surprise.

"Was it that bad?" Tea teased like Yami was a child reluctant to take his medicine.

"It tastes…bland," Yami confessed, confused.

"I can imagine. Once you've gotten used to Bakura's cooking it's hard to downgrade. Ironic, how all the stuff that's good for you taste bad," Tea laughed.

"It's not really that bad," Yami commented, taking another bite. "It just doesn't really have a taste," Yami grimaced at a familiar taste in the mush. "Is there garlic in this?"

"Probably," Tea nodded. "Duke let me watch him make it. He said a combination of garlic, ginger, and ginkgo in the right amounts is especially good at making the circulatory system healthy, given you almost froze to death."

"Well, I definitely feel warmer," Yami smiled grateful for the friendly conversation. Granted he and Tea may not have been on the best of terms when he first arrived but once Yami learned of the girl's true character, any animosity between them diminished and over time Yami found himself enjoying her company. It was nice having a female friend close to his age (at least he assumed so since she hadn't aged in a hundred years), who wasn't trying to mold him into the dark fairy tale prince they envisioned him as and who he could actually engage in civil conversation with.

"So, Duke let you watch him make this?" Yami asked, taking another bite flashing the same mischievous grin she gave him when he confessed his feelings for Seto.

Her eyes narrowed catching his game. "Yes, and I promised him I'd make sure you eat it all because he'd knew you'd try and get rid of it,"

Yami snorted and stuffed another spoonful into his mouth, having grown used to the taste by now. "So, have you told him yet?" he asked carefully.

"Told him what?" Tea asked, though her tone made it clear she knew what he was talking about.

"You always smile when you see each other, you're always doing one another favors, he always brings you flowers," Yami went on.

"Am I that obvious?" Tea sighed, and got off the chair to sit on Yami's bedside.

"Less obvious than him, but a bit more than Syrus and Jaden, but they're not trying to hide it." Yami finished the broth and set the tray aside.

"That's true." She nodded.

"So why don't you tell him?" Yami asked.

"Why haven't you told Kaiba?"She challenged.

Yami turned away. "Point taken. Difference is, I'm still not completely positive about me and Seto, but that could be because I almost died."

"Or you just woke up and found yourself naked next to him and completely ignored all of my advice," Tea said casually then burst out laughing when Yami's entire expression dropped. "I had to ask. Bakura's not known for his prudence, despite Ryou's efforts, but I also know he likes exaggerating." She shifted her position so she was meeting Yami's eyes. The severances in her eyes made Yami feel faint with embarrassment. "Mind explaining to me what happened?"

Yami slid into the bed and covered his heated face with a pillow. "Nothing happened, I swear."

Tea was unconvinced and stood with her hands on her hips and leaned over Yami's form. "Would something have happened if Bakura and Malik didn't come in without knocking?"

She smirked when Yami's form went rigid. "Possibly," Yami's low mumble was muffled by the pillow.

Tea sighed and placed her elbows on the bed and placed her forehead on her fingers. "So…" she started not knowing what to say.

"Does it hurt?" Yami said suddenly, causing Tea to sit up.

"Beg pardon?" she blinked.

Yami removed the pillow from his face and looked at the ceiling. "You know? Sex. The first time. Does it hurt?" He'd never found any purpose or reason for casual sex, instead preferring the emotional commitment his parents had and hoping for the "happily-ever-after" he'd read about in Mahado's books.

Tea blinked again. "Why do you ask?"

Yami kept staring at the ceiling. "I'm not naïve. I've had relationships before. My grandfather was a bit of a pervert when it came to things like that, and my mother kind of took after him. She was…very open-minded, and she had a huge collection of romance novels I'd liked reading when I got bored. I've read almost every book in Mahado's library, some of which were pretty explicit, if you catch my drift, which surprised me a great deal given that ridiculous town, but I honestly think it is because no one ever goes there, at least whenever I was there. And on occasion, when he remembers he doesn't need to protect me from everything, I'd talk to my older brother. Basically, I know what to do and what happens, but I never honestly understood what happens at that moment just before it happens. I've always considered myself a strong person, but recently I feel like I have no control over myself, and it terrified me because I have no idea why." He sat up and leaned against the pillows with a small but confused smile.

"I see," Tea's confusion curled into a smile. "So you basically know the mechanics of sex, but you've never experienced the emotional attachment for yourself. That explains why you're confused. You're problem isn't the physical, it's the emotional and what it represents. But to answer your question, my own experience is minimal. One of the things I liked about working with Mai, before and after I became a seamstress was that I got to choose the men I slept with, but yes, depending on some factors it can hurt the first time, and to a degree it always does." She paused when he looked nervous. "But it doesn't last long and it's a good kind of pain." Tea explained and leaned closer to Yami. "Now would you mind telling me, what's really bothering you?"

Yami didn't say anything. "I'm honestly not sure."

"Alright," Tea shifted her position. "Tell me everything that happened this morning?"

"Uh, well," Yami rubbed the back of his neck nervously. Could he describe what had happened? Put into words how easy it had been to talk to Seto? The promise, the trust, the rush of happiness, gratitude, and sheer delight that filled him when Seto promised him he'd never let anything happen to him? Did he dare try and explain it?

"Well," Yami sat up and looked heavenward for some assistance. "When I woke up, I panicked because I had no idea what had happened. Seto and were both naked, naturally I jumped to the wrong conclusions, but once I calmed down he told me what happened. We started talking about what happened, and I'm not exactly sure what happened but, suddenly we kissed each other and…I felt completely weightless. Like I had no control over my mind or body but I knew I was safe. Like I was in floating water and I had no desire to swim and that nothing was keeping me steady except for Seto. And if I stayed exactly like that, I'd be in pure bliss. I don't know how else to explain it. And then when I heard Bakura it was like everything vanished and me all at once it just hit me, and I couldn't understand how I could've lost control of myself so easily and what was worse, is that I didn't mind... and if we hadn't been interrupted, I know I wouldn't have stopped." He rolled over and buried his face in his hands then wove a hand in his hair. "I'm so confused." He plopped his face in a pillow.

"Ah, I see," Tea's face lit up and pulled the pillow from Yami's face, giggling. "You're in love." She laughed when Yami shot up, accidently hitting his head on the headboard in his haste. "It's not the actual physical act that unsettled you, it's the emotional commitment attached to it."

Yami looked confused. Tea sighed and pondered for a minute. How do you explain this to someone with absolutely no prior sexual experience? "Okay, when you said you said you couldn't understand why you lost control, or how you could so easily, but that it didn't bother you, there is the root of your problem."

"I still don't understand." Yami answered, with bewildered eyes.

"Look, I won't deny that love and love-making have controlling aspects. When you fall in love with someone you're giving that person a certain level of power of you, because they now have control over your heart and your mind, likewise, you have the same. However, the thought of giving yourself to someone completely: mind, body and soul, it can be terrifying because you're giving them and trusting them with everything that you are. And for someone who's very independent and strong-willed, like you are, giving someone that level of power, even if it's the right person, can be terrifying."

Yami blinked, letting her words sink in. "That makes perfect sense. But I'm not afraid of Seto,"

"I never said you were, but you have to admit, Seto's pretty intimidating and you are very independent. There's no shame in being nervous," Tea condoled gently.

"Yeah, I guess." Yami nodded, with pondering eyes. "Is that why you won't tell Duke how you feel?"

Tea whirled around.

Yami sat up again and shrugged, answering her unasked question. "Well, you're very independent, very confident, you like having control in your life, and you said so yourself, if it's the right person…"

"Yami," Tea sighed cutting him off. She gave a small smile, but her eyes were sad. "I know I don't look it, but I'm an old woman. I'm can't blindly believe in hope and happy endings like I did when I was your age, no matter how much I want to." She stood up and straightened her back with her hands behind her hips and walked towards the fireplace. "Even if it makes us both happy, even if it's absolutely perfect, it wouldn't be real, true bliss. Deep down, there would always be that grudge, that deep, lingering fear that all of it is just temporary and that sooner or later it would end. Even if everything before than is perfect and I never regret those memories, regardless of how it all ends, there would still be the taint of that unspoken dread." She spoke with the wisdom of someone far beyond her age. Her words were sad, but aged with wisdom. She spoke with the tears and laughs of a woman who'd been broken and rebuilt by life and made strong because of it, yet she wished she hadn't been. For there was a longing in her voice: the longing to once again be young and blissfully naïve, and spoiled with freedom and happiness.

It almost made him feel guilty, when the worst thing he'd had to suffer was the loss of his parents and grandparents. But Yami was spoiled. He had Atem who took care of him, without any regards to himself. He'd had his home and the shop for a livelihood. The worst thing he dealt with was rumors and gossip. He'd always known that so many others had it worse, but it made him realize just how lucky he and Yugi and Atem really were.

She must've seen his concern because she continued. "Don't feel guilty, Yami. You see, I've just come to accept that everything in life is fleeting -temporary. Even now, my only solid existence is because of the focus and energy I've gathered to maintain this physical form. But it won't last long. A few hours, maybe less, then I'll either return to my monster form where I'm limited in what I can and can't do or my spectral one, where I can do whatever, but I feel nothing. The only one of us that's completely solid is Seto. He's the only one who has that freedom-the freedom to actually feel and touch, to never have to think or worry about the physics of the world never applying to him because it all so simple and always there. We don't have that."

"Because of the curse," Yami said, crawling out of the covers and sitting cross-legged on the bed.

She didn't turn around, or acknowledge that he'd asked a question. She just kept staring at the sun with a blissful face. "Yes and no, but I'm sorry, I must sound so cynical, but the truth is I'm not." She was smiling again, and though her laughter was insincere he could see it in her eyes: bliss. She swooped around the room like a ghost, his eyes never leaving her until she sat on the edge of his bed, braced herself on her arms and leaned towards him. "I've experienced states of bliss when I didn't think anything bad would ever happen again, and experienced things so awful I didn't think there could ever be a happy ending, and yet they all happened. So, even though I can't believe in things being permanent or a happily ever after as in forever after, it's not because I'm cynical, it's because I know that there is still so much more to happen. I believe in being blissfully happy. Right now, everything is blissfully perfect, for me, for Duke, for the staff, for everyone, and I like it that way. I want it to last as long as it possibly can. I know that might sound silly, but sometimes when things are perfect, you don't want to take a chance and risk losing it all, if even for a moment. That's how it is for Duke and me. We're not naïve, we can both tell something is there, and we're both happy, and we want it to last as long as possible. Neither of us wants to taint it with the inevitability that the peace you bring to this place will end."

"Wait-me?" Yami blushed and gestured to himself, like he'd been elected to something he didn't sign up for.

Tea nodded and smiled. "Yes, you make everyone happy and don't ever think otherwise." She hummed and gathered the empty bowl and tray and put it and the empty cups and cold pot on the tray. Yami did nothing to stop her, letting her words sink in.

"You should get some more sleep." She winked at him and moved to leave. She was just about to close the door when Yami stopped her. "Tea." She paused in the doorway.

"Thank you," he leaned back and smiled at her. "But you know, sometimes it's worth it to take a risk if you already know what's going to happen. If it's going to happen anyway, why not take advantage of it right now?"

She blinked at him for a moment, as if puzzled as to whether or not she wanted him to answer.

"I never would've taken a chance with Seto if you hadn't suggested it." He grinned. She blinked at him, then smiled with shiny, watery eyes, then nodded before closing the door behind her.

Once he was alone again, Yami slid back into the warm cocoon of his bed and tried to think. "First Jaden and Syrus, now Tea and Duke. Seto's cursed with a solid form he finds repulsive, and no one else can know physical touch unless it's for a short time…" his fingers clenches the comforter so tight the seams started to rip. "Why?" Yami clenched his first, his own evil encounter with the monster responsible for all of this still fresh in his mind. "Who is he to play around with people's very existence like it's some kind of game!" Yami's fist collided with the first victim is could reach, an unfortunate pillow propped at his side.

Another chill running up his spin compelled him back to bed rest. As much as he hated feeling useless, he knew he couldn't do much in his weakened state. "I have to get better." He told himself as he lied against the pillows. "Then I can find away to break the curse, and set Seto and everyone free." He closed his eyes falling asleep, his dreams dominated by the blissful encounter he'd had with the Dragon King that very morning.

* * *

True to his word, Yami had obeyed Seto's orders and reluctantly remained on bed rest until Duke and Ryou firmly agreed that he was fully recovered, but by the end of the week, the lack of movement and being trapped in his room had driven Yami to the last of his nerves. Fortunately, despite Seto's insistence that Yami needed rest, Yami had had lots of company since the entire house had been more than ecstatic when Bakura flooded the house with news of his awakening—and buzzing with gossip about what had occurred in his room after Seto had forbidden the tailor and chef from speaking a word.

Joey and Mai had come to check up on him occasionally while Ryou and Bakura would bring him food, Duke would check his health and on more than one occasion Tea would be with him making sure Yami ate or drank all of his medicine he'd given, though most of the time she'd just talk to him. Yami had been extremely grateful for the conversations since on more than once occasion he swore he'd go insane from lying in bed all day. More than anything, however, he missed the boys always barging into his room asking to play games. He didn't blame them for keeping their distances at first, knowing full well, he himself wouldn't be able to look either one of them in the eyes without blushing. Fortunately, however, on an occasion when the staff was currently occupied, they'd been charged with keeping Yami entertained as it was Jaden's profession.

After a few awkward stares, embarrassing questions and confirmation that he was fine, the four servants had been so happy to finally see with their own eyes that Yami was alright that they all sprang onto his bed and hugged him so tightly, Yami thought he would burst, but he just laughed and didn't complain. For the rest of the afternoon they'd done nothing but play games, and since then the quartet made it their personal job to see that Yami was kept happy and entertained while he recovered. However, it didn't solve one problem that had been on Yami's mind for well over a week.

Why had the Dragon King not come to see him since the morning he'd awakened?

* * *

The mid morning found Seto Kaiba walking down a familiar hallway, Malik's newest creation tucked securely in his arm, his claws careful not to damage the black lace decoration along the collar and cuffs. Once he concluded that the lace was simply for decorative persons and that the Tailor was not attempting anything, he'd gladly agreed to bring it to Yami. He'd felt insanely giddy when Ryou had come back from his daily check up on Yami and had confirmed that Yami was finally healthy enough to be up and about but that it was still best he remain indoors and continue to dress appropriately for the fading Winter to be safe. Malik, in his excitement, presented Seto with a new outfit he and the girls had been stitching in their spare time while Tea kept Yami company.

But at the same time part of him felt extremely nervous—an emotion previously deemed unthinkable for the Dragon King. And yet for all his confidence and arrogance, Seto honestly felt like he'd rather face an army than carry on down the hallway to his captive's bedroom. But still he pressed on. After all, it would be the first time he'd seen him since the morning he and Yami almost slept together. At least he believed that was the modern term for what it was.

The memory made him growl in anger and shame at his own stupidity. How could he allow himself to lose control so easily? In his dragonic form with its superior strength, sharp claws, rough scales and powerful muscle structure he could've easily damaged or severely hurt Yami with his brutality. Never mind the fact the fact that Yami had just woken up from a coma and was recovering from frozen death! Seto paused for a bit to cover his face, but his sharp claws gently poked his skin causing him to pull back. He glared at the offending appendage with a mixture of hatred and disgust. He didn't have fingers, just curved silver claws that furled and unfurled according to his whim. His palms and hand was nothing more than a paw coated in rough scales and soft under pads. His scaled tail twitched almost arrogantly at his side. His disappointed wings hung limply about his back and he exhaled an exasperated sigh.

He was very grateful Tea had taken the liberty to keep him informed on Yami's reaction and feelings about what happened. He knew he shouldn't have been surprised by them though; Yami was roughly the same age he was when he'd first become interested in physical intimacy. Over the years, curiosity—and loneliness—had compelled the young king to seek relationships that branched beyond emotional commitments. It didn't surprise him Yami had the same urges. But Seto had to keep reminding himself that Yami was still young—compared to him, young enough to be his grandson, even if Kaiba's personality hadn't evolved much beyond his 21 years. It didn't surprise him that giving himself to someone probably still scared Yami. Again, he was grateful Tea had taken upon herself to keep Yami company and trusted him with the information she'd received. Seto wasn't naïve. He knew even without his dragonic form he was an intimidating figure. With it, it only made things more difficult. He knew even if his and Yami's relationship had been healthy and prosperous, and built on their mutual affection and trust in one another rather than the lust for physical contact, the desire was still there, the emotional attachment only made the need much stronger, and that much more terrifying. But it didn't change the fact that Yami was still human and he was a dragon and the physical difference created another problem.

Seto wasn't about to deny that he wanted Yami, but he'd known for a while it was much deeper than carnal lust. He wanted Yami in a way he'd never wanted anyone or anything else. Want couldn't even begin to describe what he'd felt. Need didn't sound right either. He'd wanted Yami, mind, body and soul, but at the same time he'd also wanted Yami to want _him_ in the same way. Just being near Yami was enough to heighten all of Seto's senses. Yami's smiles and laughs and clever whit were enough to make him smile, even laugh for the first time in decades. Yami's fiery spirit and spunk temper both challenged and delighted him at every turn, but Yami's kindness and gentle, fun-loving nature never ceased to amaze him, and though his hot-headedness and obstinacy annoyed him to the bitter end, there was simply nothing to dislike about his desert rose. The fact that Yami was by far the most beautiful person he'd ever met and possessed gorgeous crimson eyes that left him breathless with every gaze was only a bonus.

Yami truly was a gem, and in the past Seto's arrogance self would've said such a gem should only be is, but now he wondered if he even deserved the right to call Yami his. Not when he'd taken so much from him. Not when there was so much he couldn't give him, even if Yami willingly gave him everything. Yami deserved so much more than what Seto could give him. He deserved everything. He deserved to live his life as free as a bird, surrounded by everyone that cared about him, and to be loved by someone who could love him more than anything else and until the end of time, not a prisoner to the man who tore him away from everything he held dear in hopes of using him to break the curse still looming over his head. Even if Yami returned his feelings it wouldn't change anything. Come spring the cruel mistress known as fate would return to reap his soul. No, Yami deserved better than that…

"Are those for Yami?" Seto was immediately taken out of his depressing thoughts by the innocent question, but the tone held ulterior motives.

Seto stopped and followed the voice of his Steward. Zane leaned against a pillar with his arms crossed over his chest. Instead of his stoic expression he sported a sharp, proud smile and confident, almost arrogant eyes. Instead of his armored dragon form, he donned a traditional white and blue uniform decorated in a Victorian fashion.

Seto matched the Steward's smirk with one of his own. "As a matter of fact, yes they are. I thought he'd enjoy them, and Malik was just begging me to let him try them on," Seto spoke with a confident flare and continued his quest.

Zane didn't answer. Instead he waited. When Seto walked past him he finally replied. "He's pretty spoiled for a prisoner."

Seto stopped in his tracks, and whirled around. "I beg your pardon," he spoke dangerously low.

Zane's expression faded in an instant. His neutral mask returned. "I'm only stating a fact."

"You dare jest—" Seto accused, exasperated.

"I _never _jest." Zane cut him off and turned around to meet Seto's dangerous eyes with his own grave steel ones. "Think about it Kaiba, even though no one would dare even think of him as such, and he possesses an extraordinary amount of freedom, he_ is _technically still your prisoner."

Seto wanted to scream. To protest. To yell and scold and dismiss his Steward in a way that would ensure he never dared to disrespect him again. Instead, he was silenced by his own anger. Not at his Steward, but at himself. There was no denying the truth in the man's words. He, himself, had just confirmed it not moments before. But hearing it from someone else, having that fact that the boy he dared call his own was in reality his captive, sent him into such a state of anger and remorse he couldn't speak. His body could only shake in furry.

Wisely, the Steward said nothing, but waited patiently for his Master to regain control of the emotion raging within him. He watched Seto's trembling paw move to cover his face and run a hand grip his human russet locks. He watched Kaiba exhale and his posture become that of a man graciously accepting defeat. "What would you have me do then, Zane?" Kaiba asked. "Though I am bitter to admit it, you're correct. Yami is still my prisoner. So how do you suppose I go about fixing it?"

Zane chuckled. "I thought that would be obvious, Kaiba. How else? Set him free."

The words hit Seto like a hurricane knocking him off his feet. Each word dropped like a stone in a well. Set Yami free? Send him back to where he came from, away from his side, possibly forever? The thought clutched at his heart like a deathly cold hand squeezing the breath from his body, filling him with a viperous terror he couldn't see.

"How can you even suggest that?" Seto's words were all breath. "You were the one who suggested he might be my Key and now you're telling me to send him away?" Zane raised an eyebrow, unaffected by the King's outburst. "You misunderstand. I said you should set him free, not send him away?"

"There's a difference?" Seto hissed.

"Let me finish," Zane offered a hand of peace. "First, you should set him free. Assure him that he is no longer a prisoner. Then ask him to stay with you."

Seto was dumfounded.

"Ask him to stay, not as a prisoner, or captive, or hostage or guest or even as the key; simply because you _want_ him to stay with you, not out of any obligation, but out of his own free will." Zane answered his sovereign's unasked question, his confident smirk more evident.

"You think I should ask him to remain with me, purely because I don't ever want to be parted from him?" Seto asked, bewildered.

"Don't you?" Zane asked.

Seto needed no time to answer. "More than anything."

Zane smiled. "I'm glad." He removed himself from the pillar and leaned forward against the banister of the hallway. "Everyone in this castle cares for you Seto, we more than just respect you as our Master and sovereign, we all want you to be happy. Yami makes you happy, and I have little doubt that he's the one for you. All you have to do is accept it and we'll accept you." Zane spoke with the purest of loyalty.

Seto nodded, grateful for his Steward's words. "And what of you, Zane?" Seto asked, his turn to flash the smirk of a cat with all the cream.

Zane's eyes narrowed. "I don't know what you're talking about," he replied, but in his voice it was a lie.

"Come now, Zane." Seto teased. "I know you're not naïve, nor are you oblivious. I severely doubt you haven't noticed your own brother's intrigue?"

Zane said nothing, choosing to close his eyes; his face a cross between a pout of annoyance and a scowl of defeat.

"How long have you known?" Seto asked, crossing his arms.

"I've known," he answered, knowing it didn't exactly answer the question. "I've known before he did." A chuckle escaped him. "Back when they were too young to know what it was they were feeling. Hmph, ironic how romantic feelings are obvious to everyone but those experiencing them."

"Perhaps," Seto leaned against the banister, next to Zane. "But perhaps that's the nature of love, it doesn't see with the eyes."

"That's true." Zane agreed, though he sounded reluctant.

Seto gave him a sympathetic smile. "You do know no one can love him more than Jaden does. I think that is more than clear."

"He's the one for Syrus," Zane admitted, grudgely. "I've known that for a while, too."

"You know he's not the child he used to be. Syrus, I mean, I remember when he used to be that timid little boy who would follow you everywhere but was always exceedingly shy around you. Personally, I always thought that was because you acted more of a father to him than a brother. But not everyone has chosen to remain stoic this last century as I have. Some of us have used this time to mature and evolve, even become stronger." Seto explained. "Find ourselves."

"Yes," Zane agreed. "Syrus doesn't need a father anymore, he needs a brother, and not one to take care of him…he has Jaden for that. And he's mature enough now to know exactly what that means and what it entitles. And to be completely honest," Zane spoke like he was irritated but there was legitimate respect and pride in his voice. "I truly do believe Jaden is the one for him," Zane gripped the banister so hard his knuckles went white, a clear distaste in his voice. "And that just annoys me even more!"

Seto couldn't help but laugh. "Oh come now, Zane, you knew Syrus would grow up eventually? That's no reason to treat Jaden like he's trying to take Syrus away from you?"

"He is!" Zane snapped, before regaining his composure. "In a matter of speaking."

Seto laughed again. "It's no wonder they've found it impossible to tell you?"

Zane snorted. "I really do hate being right sometimes." He regained his composure and lifted himself to meet the King. "So, will you be taking my advice then?"

Seto remained still. His face neutral and his eyes betraying no emotion. "I'm not sure."

It was Zane's turn to smile. "Do you doubt he will say yes?"

The word caught Seto of guard. He pondered them for a moment, then turned on his heels and continued towards Yami's room. "I appreciate your assistance, Zane." He called over his shoulder.

The Steward nodded. "That is my profession." He watched Seto disappear down the hall.

A moment later, Seto found himself strolling down a familiar hallway. Zane's words continued to wonder his head. He smiled when he found himself outside Yami and room and shifted his clothed burden to open the door.

He already knew Yami's answer.

* * *

Yami gazed at the card in his hands, before shifting his neutral eyes back towards his opponents. His four competitors all held their cards close to their faces, leaving only their deceiving eyes visible. Though there was no pot between them, they played with the skill and secrecy as if they were competing for a fortune. Finally, in turns starting with the one to the left of the dealer—Syrus, who'd never played the game until Yami started teaching him earlier than week—they threw down their hands. Jaden slammed the cards down, revealing three jacks. Chazz smirked and revealed three queens. Jesse threw down five low, mismatched cards, all in diamonds. Yami flashed a bright smirk and elegantly laid out three Kings and two fives. His grin doubled in size as his competitors growled, and he crossed his hands proudly over his chest.

"What have you got, Syrus?" Yami asked, triumphantly.

The boy fidgeted a bit and fixed his glasses nervously looking at his own hand, then everyone else's. "Well," he started uncertain. "I think I got two pair," he said and began placing down cards. "One pair and another pair."

"NO WAY!" the four boys gasped, screamed and dropped their jaws when Syrus color coordinated his cards, placing the Ace of Spades next to the Ace of Clubs in one pile and the Aces of Hearts and Diamonds in a second.

"Awe man!" Chazz threw down his cards and leaned back on his hands. "Syrus always wins!"

"Are you sure you've never played Poker before?" Yami asked with suspicious eyes.

Syrus blushed. "Beginner's luck?" He guessed. "Or maybe I just had a good teacher?" He flashed a guilty smile.

Yami melted under the boy's silver eyes, flashing the same pleading look Yugi used to get out of trouble. At first glance, it looked purely innocent; however, he'd grown up with Yugi and he knew full well Syrus was far more mature than he let others believe.

"Don't try and butter me up," Yami ruffled Syrus' hair. "I'm immune to that."

Syrus laughed. "Honestly though, I really think it's just luck."

"Then let's try a different game," Jesse gathered up the cards and started shuffling the cards, performing an impressive bridge. "How 'bout Gin-rummy?"

"No thanks." Yami sighed, leaned back against his pillows, and unfurled his crossed-legs from their uncomfortable position. "We've been playing cards all morning."

As much as Yami loved spending time with his friends, his confinement to his room, even for the sake of his health was driving him to madness. At least when Seto locked him in his room a few months back he could actually walk around and go out on the balcony.

"We could do something else?" Jaden suggested, sympathetically. Yami gave him a small smile. He knew Jaden took his job as Servant of Entertainment seriously, but at this point there was little he could do.

"Honestly, Jaden, I just can't wait to get the hell out of his bedroom. I feel like I've been stuck in here forever," Yami complained, loudly.

As if on cue, the door to Yami's room opened followed by the sound of large, leathery wings, "Perhaps I can change that?" The Dragon King swaggered inside, slightly irritated Yami wasn't alone, but ignored it when he saw the surprise on Yami's face. The young man was propped broadly against his backrest donning only a pair of purple flannel pajamas and a thick, fuzzy robe. No wonder Malik was so insistent Seto bring him a new set of clothes. It was mid afternoon!

"Are you here to make sure I stay in bed like a good little boy?" Yami teased, sarcastically.

Seto snorted and called his bluff. "Actually, I was going to say Ryou and Duke gave you a clean bill of health and if you wanted to get dressed, but if you insist…" he turned to leave but Yami was faster and jumped off the bed and grabbed the clothes out of Seto's arms in less than a second.

"Thank you!" Yami said sweetly before disappearing into the bathroom to change.

"He's happy," Chazz laughed and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

"I'll bet. He's been stuck in here for almost two weeks. Winter's almost over." Jesse jumped off the bed and opened the curtains letting sunlight spill into the room.

"Speaking of that," Seto announced earning all of his servant's attention. "Syrus," the Servant of Decor straightened his posture.

Seto smirked. "I've already given Zane an outline, but I'm planning a ball of sorts in a few weeks, and I need someone in charge of cleaning up the ball room and making it spectacular." He winked. "You up for it?"

Syrus looked flabbergasted then ecstatic. "I'd love too!" He practically burst from his seat, and grabbed Jaden and Jesse's hands. "I'll start right away! I make it look prettier than it did on your coronation! I promise!"

The feisty boy cheered and jumped with glee dragging his too helpless captives behind him, his cheers echoing around the hallway. "Woohoo!"

Chazz turned to his master with bewildered eyes. Seto chuckled. "Aren't you going to join them? The ball is for the whole household, after all. It's going to take a lot of preparations." Chazz's eyes doubled in size before a wide grin of delight split his face and he bolted off after his friends, laughing giddily.

"Where did everyone go?" Seto turned around at the sound of Yami's voice and lost his breath. Malik's latest outfit for Yami consisted of a long bell-sleeved shirt and matching pants made of scarlet satin. Smooth, shiny cloth tightly hugged his arms, legs and torso but flared at his wrists and ankles. Black lace trimmed the cuffs and hems of the outfit and across the hips and torso. Black lace adored the collar like black wings. Over it he wore a thick black trench coat embroidered with a Victorian floral pattern in a spider web-like fashion. The red of his sleeves stuck out at his wrists giving his outfit a flame-like appearance.

"You look ravishing," Seto licked his lips making Yami blush and grunt in annoyance.

"What's with all the lace?" Yami asked a bit put off by the feminine decoration.

"Malik's probably on a Victorian kick," Seto suggested, though his own clothing consisted of a simple green shirt and pants that bunched at the knees where his scales formed spikes and a simple dark blue frock coat. "Now then." Seto quickly leaned over, placed an arm behind Yami's shoulders and hooked his other arm under Yami's knees and yanked him into a bridal carry.

"Seto!" Yami yelped and threw his arms around Seto's neck for support. "What are you doing?"

"What?" Seto mocked innocence.

Yami growled and fidgeted fiercely in Seto's grip. "I hate being carried, you know that! Besides, Ryou and Duke said I was fine, so let me walk on my own!"

"Correction," Seto waved a correcting claw. "They said you were allowed to leave so long as you did not over exert yourself, and you remained indoors."

"But I can still walk!" Yami complained, punching Seto's chest, annoyed when Seto didn't even flinch.

"Now, come on, I have something very special I want to share with you."

Yami crossed his arms and pouted, but ceased his fighting. "Alright, I suppose I can forgive you then. As long as I'm out of my room for the rest of the day."

Seto smirked. "I guarantee it." He held onto Yami tightly when they came to the hallway and leaped onto the banister. Yami clung to him when they suddenly took to the air and screeched when Seto dropped. Seto glided on his wings until he landed on the main level, falling to one knee. Seto's his breath suddenly caught in his chest and a pounding pain erupted right where Yami's elbow collided with his ribs.

"Didn't I warn you to _never _do that again?" Yami's smile twisted.

Seto growled at him then smirked wickedly. Before Yami could counter he was suddenly flung into the air and found his chest and chin whacking against Seto's hard, scaled spine, the tail of his coat flopped over his head. A shiver raked his spine when he felt sharp, cold claws stroke his hips where the hems of his shirt exposed his skin.

"You never learn do you, Yami?" Yami could just picture the smirk on Seto's face. Immediately realizing his position, Yami turned as red as his clothing, and his defenses erupted in a fit of anger and embarrassment. "KAIBA!" Yami screamed and thrashed, flailing his limbs and pounding his fists as hard as he could against Seto's back and pushed himself up so his body was somewhat straight. "Unhand me this instant! I can tolerate your bridal carry obsession but I'll be damned if I'm carried like this!"

Seto grabbed one of Yami's ankles to keep the thrashing limb from striking him. He couldn't contain himself, and burst out laughing at Yami's temper tantrum. Finally, Seto took pity on him, and wrapped his tail around Yami waist then released his hold. Yami released a combination of a yelp of surprise and a screech of fear when he was suddenly flipped over and found himself on his feet, Seto's tail securely wrapped around his waist. Seto hadn't stopped laughing. "Don't ever get sick again, Yami," Seto chocked out words between laughs. "You're far too amusing."

Yami growled like a caged animal: his balled fists, furious eyes and twisted jaw were marred by his strawberry red face. He wanted to speak but his words turned to embarrassed snarls.

Seto smiled and wrapped a wing about Yami's back in apology. "Now don't be like that, Kitten. I'm only teasing."

Yami snorted. "At least I'm walking now." Yami gave a small smile and let Seto lead him down a familiar corridor. Yami blinked puzzled. Was Seto taking him back to the library? They stopped by the recognizable curved doors beneath the blue tapestry with the silver tree. However, he found Seto's attention on another part of the hallway, adjacent to the library entrance and opposite the enormous windows lining the hallway. At first glance, it looked like the rest of the wall, but Yami could see the faint outline of ivory vines and stone flowers growing from the ground into a curved arch shape.

"Before we enter," Seto began dressing his paws against the doors. "I told you about the library, and how my parents built it, but what I didn't tell you is that it was a gift to my father from Mother. _This _is what he gave her." With that Seto shoved the doors open with a hard shove. Light burst from inside and Yami could see that the ceiling was curved like a half cylinder and made entirely of glass, flooding the room with sunlight. He covered his eyes with his arm and let Seto guide him inside. When he looked up, he found himself in the center of another world.

A breath caught in this throat when he realized the world was actually a garden of paintings. He suddenly realized the gallery was more than just walls holding paintings. Each canvas was carefully places among the painted walls to tell a specific story. Yami fallows the detailed vines and flowers until he saw fairies dancing upon flower petals, and the branches of a tree convoluting to an enormous portrait where the Gaelic tree of life flooded with fireflies created a chapel for a fairy wedding. In a sky-like setting, clouds, stars, moons and suns surrounded an enormous mobile hanging from the ceiling. Gold and silver wires and multi-colored bulbs in various shapes and sizes crafted an enormous planetarium of the solar system. Beautifully realistic black and white jungle cats, wild mustangs and serpents were carefully places among an explosion of colorful birds and jungle flowers and trees forming a rainforest along the far wall. Yami's eyes watched flocks of birds dance in various circular patterns, dragons fly with gryphons and phoenix bursting into flames above the fairy's wedding. Snowy mountains mingled with deserts and bizarre, dark forests and cathedral walls along a river whose waterfall fell into the splash of space.

This was no ordinary gallery. It wasn't just canvases and portraits lining the walls for observation. No, each portrait, sketch and painting worked with the murals on the walls creating one enormous universal world. A map to the creator's heart. A sanctuary of bold, new possibilities where nothing was impossible and imagination and freedom were power. He'd already known the Kaiba family must've been artistic to create such a beautifully bizarre castle, but this gallery exceeded any and all of his expectations.

"What Atem wouldn't give to see this?" Yami breathed in a state of awe, unable to fathom how a single woman could create so much.

"This," Seto began. "Is by far the most impressive feature of the entire castle. Father gave it to my mother when he asked her to marry him, to do whatever she pleased with, but I doubt even he could've imagined what she would create."

Not a string of doubt marred Yami's thoughts.

"This is the Queen's Gallery. A sacred place only those allowed by the Queen or someone invited by one whom she has personally granted permission may enter. Even the staff isn't allowed inside."

That hasn't surprised Yami. He could tell the room has been well cared for. None of the colors had lost their brilliance, none of the paintings lost their reality, and no element marred their beauty.

"I'm honored that you'd share this with me." Yami spoke graciously.

Though the room was only the size of a tall living room, the walls and paintings made it seem much smaller and worldly bigger all at once. Its oval shape blended everything together without the disruption of corners. Gazing at them all, Yami almost felt dizzy. Lost in the world the Queen created, until he felt firm hands grip his shoulders to steady him. In the corner of the room he found a small stool in front of an easel and a stack of blank canvases, jars of paint and bowls of brushes. Above the workstation was a large painting of the man and woman he recognized from the portrait in Seto's room, lavished in beautiful wedding garbs. The men held his beautiful bride in his arms. Instead of a bouquet, a beautifully carved sapphire box was cradled in the bride's palms.

Yami gently removed Seto's hands to take a better look, his eyes glued to the music box. "Seto is that-" Yami pointed unable to finish his sentence.

"The music box in my room." Seto knew it wasn't a question. "Yes, it was my mother's. She gave it me when she told me its history. It was a family heirloom that had been passed down in her family when her ancestors first came to Romania from Egypt. She said was made from gold and lapis lazuli."

Yami's eyes expanded, and a stab pierced his heart when he remembered how he'd almost destroyed it. He'd flinched when he felt Seto's wing wrap around his lithe form. Yami turned to stare at him but Seto's gaze was in an unknown universe, a worldly smile set upon his face. "You know, I was a child when she first brought me here. That was the day she gave me the music box. I asked her if papa ever saw it, and she laughed and said the first time she brought him here was to show him the painting she'd done…the one of their wedding day."

Yami eyes returned to the portrait. Just imagining the sheer joy the King must've felt when his wife showed him the painting their love inspired. "And then she finally told him the real reason why she'd brought him there. She'd wanted to tell him she was pregnant with their first child."

Yami's eyes widened, but Seto just smiled in an almost childlike way. "And when she gave me that box she'd showed me another painting she'd been doing." He tilted Yami's head the wall surrounding the wedding portrait. Yami's eyes wondered to the mural along the wall. Around the Queen's wedding photo, she'd drawn dozens upon dozens of roses surrounding a small boy with a chubby face, short cinnamon hair and eyes so large and adorable and blue, Yami dared admit they put Yugi's to shame. Behind it, was the image of a castle, as he could tell by the thickness of the paint that as time went on the Queen had added to that particular mural. Adding drawings of her other three sons, images of the servants who occupied small spaces about the castle courtyard, but none looked more profound than the dazzling smile on that beautiful blue-eyes child.

"Then what did she say?" Yami asked, engrossed in the tale.

Seto chuckled and replied. "She told me to listen very carefully to the song it plays, because one day, it would help me find the Key to my heart."

Yami felt his heart stop for a moment. _That's the line from my…no, it couldn't be._ He brushed those thoughts aside. "No wonder it's so special too you." He bowed his head in shame. "I can imagine such a treasure is quite precious."

"It is," Seto smiled wrapping his arms around the boy's shoulder, and met Yami's guilt-ridden eyes with soft, sapphire blue eyed, glowing with something that made Yami's heart skip a beat. "But I think I've found something more precious."

"S-Seto…" Yami tried to find his voice but found he could barely breathe. So much had happened, so much had yet to happen but somehow it all seemed less complex when he looked in Seto's eyes. Rationality and emotion warred against one another in a way that made Yami want to scream, and for a brief moment he despaired as to how such a glorious creature could find one such as him so special. But just as quickly, he crushed those thoughts and relaxed his mind. The hammering of his heart suddenly sounded quiet and the sudden wash of emotion made his eyes droop and his lips part.

It took all of Seto's will power not to simply kiss his captive senseless and pin him against the floor. He knew Yami wouldn't stop him of he did, but the last nagging sliver of control had ruthlessly crushed those desires. God, it was getting harder and harder to control himself around him, but Seto promised himself he'd wait. He wouldn't take that step until they were both certain, but it didn't stop him from wanting nothing more than to pull the smaller man into his arms. Yami's half-lidded eyes and the slight parting of his lips made Seto lick his fangs. Fire and desire burned in his veins sending his every nerve ending ablaze. His claws carefully danced up Yami's clothed arms before firmly taking hold of his shoulders. The young man didn't flinch.

Without warning, Seto broke his control and crashed their lips together in a rich, passionate kiss. Yami immediately parted his lips and gripped the collar of Seto's coat and shirt tightly, pulling the Dragon King closer against him, deepening the desire between them. A mix of fire and ice burst between them, their limbs and lips moved and explored new territories, claiming whatever they could touch. The scorching touch between them made them both burn for more and more. They mutually broke away; their eyes never leaving the others.

Seto's grip on Yami's shoulders tightened and he roughly pulled the teen forward until their forehead's touched. "You make it so difficult to keep control, my desert rose. So…very…difficult." Seto panted each word.

"Then why not break your control?" Yami's eyes lit up at the challenge.

Uncertainty flashed in Seto's eyes. "You have no idea what you're asking." One of his hands reached for one of the objects near his mother's work station. He held a thick metal container clearly in line with Yami's vision. With a simple clench of his wrists his claws sliced it to ribbons of metal, his muscles crushing them together before Seto dropped to the ground.

Yami rolled his eyes. "That isn't what I meant, and you know it."

Seto frowned. "Perhaps not, but the fact remains. I'm still a dragon, Yami. I have teeth and claws, scales and a tail and brute strength. If I'm not careful, I could kill you with my brutality."

"No, you wouldn't," Yami said confidently.

"How do you know?" Seto challenged, unconvinced.

"Because I know _you_," Yami said firmly, his gently hands moving to cradle the King's face in his hands. "And I know for a fact you would never hurt me. You might throw lightning bolts at me, but you've had to dodge a few of my punches too so I guess that makes us even." Yami winked playfully.

Despite himself, Seto couldn't help but laugh. "Are you sure?" He smiled with a raised eyebrow. "I'm not blind, Yami. I see the fear in your eyes."

Yami sighed. "Well, you're right. I am scared. But not of you- never. I have taken your true form into consideration, and you can't fault me for finding the idea of losing my virginity to a dragon a bit intimidating. That and I'm not rushing into anything," Yami flicked Seto's nose, but his stance assured him he was serious, despite the playful banter. "I mean it," Yami winked. "I mean, technically, we haven't even been on a proper date yet."

Seto's smile curled at the corner. "Then perhaps you'd like to?"

Yami blinked, making Seto grin wider. "I was thinking of hosting a ball soon, since that ballroom hasn't been used in ages and the staff has been dying to use it. Perhaps, having an event where the whole castle may enjoy the evening is the best idea."

"Really?" Yami blinked. He didn't think Seto was the party type and his only experience were the boring affairs Rebecca hosted. Then again, if Syrus was designing the evening and Jaden and Chazz were in charge under Zane and Jou's supervision, he had no doubt it would be an enjoyable night.

"Yes," Seto nodded. "And since Winter is fading, I was thinking we should have it on the Feast of Saint Valentine." He leaned forward wrapping his free arm possessively around Yami's waist. "And you would do me a grand honor by being my date for the evening?"

"I'd love to!" Yami burst, enthusiastically.

Seto was taken aback by the suddenness, but laughed at Yami's spryness. "Are you sure, Kitten?" Seto teased, releasing him slightly. "You wouldn't mind attending a romantic affair with someone old enough to be your ancestor? I _am _after all, 121 years?"

Yami giggled. "Nope, not unless you mind going out in public with an immature teenager who's not yet eighteen, would you?" Yami countered, his eyes lighting up at the game.

"Not in the slightest." Seto responded. Neither broke eye contact until finally they couldn't contain themselves any longer and they broke into a fit of amusement.

Their pearls of laughter could be heard all the way from the ballroom.

* * *

I am so proud of this chapter. It fought me tooth and nail but it came out spectacularly and I got a lot of plotholes and things I've been meaning to touch upon accomplished it with it. Specifically giving Zane and Tea more of a role, since one, I like it when Tea and Yami are just friends since I have honestly found no reason to see them as anything else, and two, Yami needs someone to talk to. And Zane 'cause he's a cool character and I'm really annoyed he didn't get much spotlight until recently since Malik kinds stole his role in the earlier rewrite, but I got him in now. Same thing with Yami and Tea, Seto needs someone to talk to about the touchy stuff—and yes, this answers everyone's questions about him and the ankishipping. XD I always imagined Zane as the fatherly type with Syrus and that secretly, though he wants Syrus to grow and learn from his mistakes he's secretly afraid of losing him, specifically to his rival. XD Also, I really like how Tea came out in this story, since I really liked giving her more of a 3-D role and showing Syrus and the kids weren't the only ones who did some maturing during the last 100 years, so she's a fun, controversial character to work with—and I remember a few people asking me if she had a love interest, looking back, I really wish I hinted at it more, but yup, there ya go.

I actually had a lot of themes and issues I wanted to touch upon with this chapter, and I was very happy with how they came out, especially since after that last cliffy the last time we saw Yami and Seto, it was obvious I needed to brush upon the issues of sex in this, but the last thing I wanted to do was turn it into some "talk-about-smut-filler". Phew, I won't bore you with the details, but I did want to handle this realistically, and let's face it ladies as gorgeous as we all may think Dragon Seto is, he's still a dragon and that's gonna make anyone nervous (especially since I made Yami a virgin, which I actually like doing since its SO much fun to tease him. XD) and I also found control to be a big theme in this chapter, not just in sex and in relationships (which I both believe is true and is realistic as I said) but also in general: the curse controlling everyone's lives, the fact that Yami is still technically Seto's prisoner (coughcoughimportantcough) etc. etc. So overall, I'm ecstatic with how well it all blended together.

Plus I wasn't gonna have Seto go off on a rant a out how he hates himself and denies his nature like all the crap vampire clichés on TV. Seto knows what he is, and he might not like, it but he accepts it and moves on. End of discussion.

Yami's outfit in this was actually based off a masquerade costume dress I found online that I unfortunately can't find the link for or I'd show it to you, but I found it and I thought he'd look gorgeous in it, so I gave it to him and I thought Malik would have fun playing around with the lace.

Personally, my favorite scene is the gallery scene I did, just cause it came out better than I could've ever imagined, not just the actual overall appearance, but the whole scene in general—that is what happens when I watch Seto's Obsession (music video by Mitzumikare on youtube) and Come what may (also a prideshipping video) for two days straight ;). The gallery was loosely based on a combination of Rapunzal's tower from the movie Tangled, and the way I set up my room. While writing the room, I realized I didn't want it to be a traditional gallery since I imagined the Queen as the artistic type so I styled it as a combination of all her paintings and then she'd painted murals on the walls in a way that works with them, so it's like one enormous world (and don't even deny that the idea of a chibi Seto in a ring of roses doesn't sound adorable ^-^)

My personal favorite is their last conversation about the ball, their ages and the thought of them having sex: one cause it was a blast to write, and two it just really shows how comfortable they are around one another. I think it was my friend Keara, who mentioned their ages coming up at some point, which I planned on doing anyway, but that was for you hun ^-^

I am so happy this chapter is finally done! (phew) Now I can start writing the fun stuff! Can anyone guess what's next?


	25. Chapter 24: The Dragon's Dance

It took a lot longer than i expected to finish this, but then again this chapter kinda ran away from me but i am so propud of it! I have never done two 20 pages chapter in a row before before...XD

But I was ecstatic! To finally write this part I had been wanting to do ti for EVER!

IMPORTANT: Make sure you read the end of this chapter while listening to the Shane Ward song Breathless...trust me it inspired the chap and i had it playing none-stop while writing this chapter, not only is is a beautiful song but it fits this chapter perfectly!

**Dedications**: This chap goes out to two of my best fans and good friends Sapphire, for inspiring the beginning of this chap (you'll know it when you read it ;) and Keara, for not only giving me some of the most humerous reviews ever but for helping me with the outfit designs for Yami and yugi! THANKS HUN!

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing, Yugioh is Takehashi's creation and the end scene of this chapter was inspired by the disney beauty and the beast film. the outfits in this were loosely inspired by Minko Okhami's Dragon Knights, and Seto and Yami's outfits I created myself, Seto's were inspired by two pictures found on tumblr (anyonw who would like to see them drop me a note)

**WARNINGS: **This story contains yaoi and shonen-ai meaning boyxboy pairings, mentions of sex, nudity, character death, violence, and lemons. As I said before if you have problems with any of those then don't read the ric, at this point i don' feel the need to spoil the story by saying "contains lemon" or "lemon starts here" (especially since the readers have been asking me about it for a while)

As always read, review, critique, comment and go nuts! I can't WAIT to see the reviews fro this one!

* * *

Chapter 24: The Dragon's Dance

"Let's go everyone move it!" Syrus barked orders as the staff while digging a mountain of dust out of the candle holders and polishing them until the iron shined. "Kaiba wants to have the ball on the Feast of Saint Valentine, so we have one week to make this place spotless!"

"This is never going to work Syrus!" Jesse ripped off his goggles and glared at his smaller companion from his position on the stone windowsill "The dust is so caked on this place it'll take days to scrub off!"

"Then get scrubbing!" Jaden poked his fluffy Kuriboh body in Jesse's face with a wide smile before returning to cleaning. He pushed a rag as big as him across the window clearing away trails of dust and leaving the clean stain glass glittering in his wake.

"Awe man," Chazz complained, whipping his forehead. He'd been helping Joey and Mai clean the stain glass ceiling, and his wings ached from their constant fluttering. "I'm ecstatic about this too, but this is going to take forever."

"Hahahahaha. It might, hun but I'm far to giddy to care," Mai teased, floating down in her harpy form. Because of her feathered arms she couldn't clean and fly at once, so she unhooked the tapestries and drapes and gathered them into a pile which Serenity gathered for washing. Down below Duke and Tea swept away a century of dirt and dust from the frosty glass floor and out over the balcony. Unfortunately, once the chandeliers, ceilings and windows were done, more dust caked the floor in dark clumps.

Syrus gazed over their progress from the chandeliers and groaned. Two days of cleaning and the ball room still needed a lot of work, but the Servant of Décor was determined. The first layer of dust and the cobwebs had been cleared from the windows and chandeliers, now they just had to clean the rest of the place. However, with Jim still caring for the horses and Bakura and Ryou arguing over what to make and gathering ingredients, they had minimal help. There was no point in asking Malik. The second Syrus told him about the ball, he'd locked himself in his studio. It was only a matter of time before Mai joined him, and Tea started sewing.

"Wow, I didn't think you'd clear this place out this fast." Jim's voice echoed throughout the empty room. Seeing him, Syrus leapt from the chandelier, transformed into his specter form, and floated towards the ground. Jaden freaked, until Syrus landed safely and regained physical form. His eye twitched at Jim's muddy boots dragging ugly streaks across the floor. "What can I do for you, Jim?" he asked.

"Nothing, just thought I'd come help," Jim smiled, ruffling Sy's hair knowing it would annoy him. A growl was his reward.

"You can start by not making a bigger mess," Syrus teased, pointing at his boots.

"What about the horses?" Jaden asked, regaining his human shape.

"They're fine," Jim threw a thumb over his shoulder. "Yami just took Phantom out for some exercise."

"He better not!" Malik howled from the hall. He stormed in a moment later his eyes glared at the Grounds Keeper demanding an explanation. "He's still recuperating!"

"Relax, Malik." Jim assured him fixing his hat. "I made sure Yami was plenty warm before he left. None of those fancy threads you insist he wear." Jim smirked when Malik growled knowing full well his prime concern was the condition of Yami's clothes.

Malik opened his mouth to protest but before he could an arm wrapped around his waist and pulled him back against a golden armored body. His fist flew at his assailant, but his capturer grabbed it and started littering kisses on his cheek and neck. "Marik!" He screamed, angrily at his husband then yelped when he was lifted off the ground by Marik's golden wings. He'd never understand why his husband was so insistent on keeping his armored form even when he was off duty.

"Oh don't be like that, hellcat," Marik teased. "I rarely get to see you as is, and now you're all shut away and working. Why can't I have some fun?" he teased and hugged Malik tightly, then turned to the rest of the staff. "By the way I finished cleaning the snow and everything from the roof." He pointed to the ballroom's ceiling, where Joey and Chazz where still cleaning. "It's spotless, so if anyone even thinks of going up there, they'll lose an arm." He warned before lifting his protesting husband over his shoulder and flew away. Malik's temper tantrum bounced off the walls, making everyone laugh.

"Looks like you get us for a little while longer, Syrus." Mai winked at him before yelling loudly "Joseph!"

Said man banged his blond head on the wall and bounced back, rubbing his abused skull. "WHAT!" he howled over a hovering black wing.

Mai smirked. "Aren't you going to help me wash these? I can't carry them all by myself." She smiled innocently, gesturing a delicate white arm towards the pile of drapes that needed to be scrubbed and the tapestries that needed to be hand-washed to protect their colors and stitches.

"Yeah, Yeah, I'm comin," the maitre d' said, lowering himself to the ground with Chazz close behind him. Joey retracted his wings returning to his human form, gathered the curtains and followed his wife.

Syrus wove his hands in his hair in frustration. "Damnit, we'll never get this place ready at this rate!"

"Relax Sy," Jaden wrapped his arms around the boy's waist. "We're doing great, and if I know you this place will be spectacular."

Syrus blushed and relaxed into the embrace, for once not caring that everyone was watching. "Maybe, but I want everything to be perfect for Kaiba and Yami." He unwove himself from Jaden's embrace and clasped his hands behind his back. "Lord knows they both deserve it, and I think we can all agree we want them to be happy, right?"

"Amen to that!" Jesse added, jumping down from the window. "And just think! If we pull this off, and Yami is the key, we could all finally be human again!" Jesse cheered with starry eyes.

"Let's not get too ahead of ourselves, Jesse," Tea chided gently.

"I don't think he's that far off." Surprisingly it was Duke who answered. "I mean it's obvious there's something going on between those two, and, think about it. Have any of you actually thought of what it would be like to be human again? Finally human after all this time?"

Everyone in the room suddenly paused. They _had _thought of that. They still remembered the earlier days of their cursed existences when they could only take the form of the monsters they were cursed to. How difficult it had been to change between their physical and spectral forms and how tricky it had been to master enough energy to maintain a physical body in their human appearances, but even then they only lasted a short time. Over the last one hundred years they'd feared, hated, despised and relished in their new existences, eventually doing what they had always done and lived their lives to the fullest of their ability and trying to make each day a little better than the last. Even with the dark curse looming over their heads and the ultimate zenith, they had had time to prepare for it- to accept it, and to come to terms with it whether the curse was broken or not. But when their beloved Master had fallen into despair and nothing the staff could do could change his moods or bring him out of the dark, lonely existence he had accepted for himself, they too seemed chained to their fate by despair. But the past four to five months had changed all that. Yami's presence in the castle had given them a spark of hope and they were no longer afraid to continue to live their lives again. This time they prepared for two outcomes. Their end which if that was the case they would go to with no regrets knowing they were loyal to their Master to the end and knowing they lived their lives to the best of their ability. The other one was where the spell is broken and they become human and their lives began all over again. Even though all of them were hoping for the latter, it was still terrifying regardless. Even if they had been using their physical human guises more and more purely for Yami's sake, it was still a scary concept. The thought of being human again. Of the possibility of a new life and the chance to either remain in the castle that had always been their home or to start over in a new one. Either one promised its own laughs and tears, its own joys and heartaches, but wasn't that what freedom was? Wasn't that what being human truly meant?

"I'm not sure what I'd do if I were human again," Tea pondered to herself. Yami's works coming back to her. "I don't really think I'd leave here. I mean, as much as I love to leave the castle for once and see the kingdom again and what's changed in the last century, I don't really think I'd have any other place to go. This is my home after all. I guess, I'd just live like I have been, doing what I love until the day I die." She smiled and looked at her hands. "And to be honest, I am getting sick of constantly being so young." She chuckled.

"Oh, I can't wait to start aging again!" Syrus added, immediately. "I am so sick of looking like a fifteen year old! I swear I don't care if I grow old and die, if this is what being young forever is like, then all those children's tales can keep their immortality and eternal youth nonsense," Syrus chided, sweeping up a cloud of dust in his anger until a laughing Jaden stopped him.

"I second that." Chazz raised his hand. "Honestly, though, I think I'd like to find something else to do. I mean I can't exactly be Seto's servant forever."

"I wouldn't mind," Jaden added, pulling himself onto the windowsill so he was sitting. His eyes wondered to Syrus who continued to battle the dust the window. "Though there is one thing I'd like to do if I were human again…"

"What's that?" Syrus asked curiously, since he was the only one close enough to hear the mumble. Jaden just smiled. "I'll tell you later."

"Hmm…"Jesse sat on the floor and pondered. "Would you miss your spirit form Jay? You know like being able to fly and stuff?"

"Probably," Jaden laughed. "But it was fun while it lasted, and you can only fly and be covered in fuzz for so long before it gets boring."

"Would you miss flying, Tea?" Duke asked nervously. "I know you can in your fairy form."

Tea giggled. "Well, I think of it as a new experience. Like when you jump in a lake for the first time. At the time the experience is amazing and it's a wonderful and fond memory, but if you do it too often, you get bored of it. So, I think I will miss flying, but it's not like I won't be able to take the experience with me."

"That's a good point!" Syrus added.

"I don't think I'll miss my spirit form," Jim laughed, leaning against the wall. "My human body is certainly less bulky that's for sure. I wonder how Bakura will handle not being able to control fire?"

"Please, he's been making that stove burst into flames longer before he become a chimera," Duke snorted.

"And he's bound to the hearth," Tea added. "I doubt that's much fun." She turned to Duke with a comforting smile. "What about you?" he blinked at her response. She giggled and added "It seems we've neglected your opinions on the matter?"

Duke blushed and looked away smiling. "Well given I didn't use my spectral form much to begin with…I think I'd like being human again…"

"Why's that?" Tea asked curiously.

"Well, if I know I'm alive and not knowing when I'll die instead of having a clock ticking over my head," The botanist looked her in the eye with a small leer, making her blush. "Maybe, I'll finally be bold enough to take a risk."

* * *

"So what do you think!" Joey asked his wife as they hung the cleaned drapes outside to dry.

"About what?" Mai asked, fixing the loose stitch on a tapestry.

"About what Jesse said?" Joey blinked. "I mean come on, have you ever thought of the two of us being human again? Living our lives? Having kids? Growin old ta'gether? Ya ever think of that?" he asked, honestly.

Mai couldn't help but smile. Her husband had the golden heart of a child, and though he didn't always show it, his mind had certainly matured over the years they'd spent in captivity.

"Well," Mai put the tapestry down and sat next to him. "I guess everyone here would do what we'd always done. It might be strange to be human again. Terrifying, even, but if becoming a harpy and a dragon didn't break us up, I severely doubt us becoming human again will…"

"I a'int leavin you, Mai." Joey said seriously. "Not ever."

"Good, because I'd have to claw your eyes out if you did." Her tone was humorous, but the darkness in her eyes told Joey she meant every word. "But I honestly never saw us leaving this place. I mean have you?"

Joey blinked and looked away for a moment. His soulful gaze glanced heavenward as if hoping for divine help. "Honestly, no. I mean, we both got a good thing going here. I'm the Maitre d', you're the Mistress of the Wardrobe, and remember when we eloped? We ran away then and even then we still came back here, even before we knew whether or not the Rebellion succeeded. This place is home."

"Exactly," Mai smiled and clenched Joey's hand tightly. Her own eyes gazed towards the sky. Despite the fading winter, the sky was still bright blue and the sun was shining but the clouds still jumbled together across the blue. "But you know us being human would give us a lot of new opportunities." She turned to Joey with a mixture of seriousness, happiness and uncertainty. "Our bodies are unchanging right now. We can't age or grow or change our shapes, because of that we can't conceive. If we were human all that would vanish…"

"What was your dream, Mai." Joey stopped her making her blink in confusion, but his smile reassured her. "Before all this, what do you see the two of us doing? If all this ends and we do become human?"

"What do I see?" Mai almost laughed. It was so simple a question and it had such a simple answer. Life was always so simple, at least when it came to happiness, it was always something or someone, some dream you had to achieve or accomplish and once you add it more would follow. It was only the selfish desire for more that seemed to make life more complicated than it is. If everything had been simpler…maybe the world would be a much more beautiful place- or at least as beautiful as she saw it.

"I see," Mai leaned her against Joey's shoulder. Her eyes closed picturing her ideal future. "I see you and me, sitting like this, except in the front of the castle. We're growing old together and watching our beautiful blond-haired children, running and playing in that rose garden in front of the castle. Or maybe we'll get bored here and we'll want to travel so we have those blond haired children somewhere else. Or maybe we'll come back here and when they grow up they'll move away, and we'll stay but they'll bring our blond haired grandchildren to see us? I'm not sure. I just see the two of us, growing old together, and watching two blond haired children play in that garden."

Joey almost cried from happiness. "Just two?"

"Yes," Mai smiled. "A boy and a girl. We could have more if we don't get that. I wouldn't mind. I've always wanted a big family. At least two."

Joey laughed again. "Ya sure? You wouldn't mind losing your figure? Or if your blond hair turns grey? Or seeing me becoming all withered and fat?"

Mai knew he was teasing but there was an underline cause there, and she knew it. She'd seen enough of humanity and had at once herself been vain about her beauty. When her mother had voiced her plans for her, Mai had begun to view beauty as a curse, until a lanky, fun-loving blond servant had stood up to her arrogance and made her feel beautiful inside and out once again. It honestly disgusted her how shallow she used to be. How much people cared about their bodily appearance and sacrificing so much of life's precious wonders and experiences simply for the sake of looking young. How many times had she seen people all but sell their souls in exchange for youth and beauty? She was almost grateful for her curse.

"Well, I'm certainly not as vain as I once was," Mai spoke with a glint of disgust. "I have to tell you, after one hundred years of looking in the mirror and you're still 24, you just stop caring. Honestly, I think I'd like to grow old. To see what it's like. And you will _never _be fat or withered, Joey. I've seen you eat and you're still as lanky as you were the day I met you."

"Gee thanks," Joey snorted.

Mai laughed. "But honestly, that's all I want. Someone to grow old with and I already have half of it." She squeezed his hand tightly in her own. Her delicate fingers held his palm over her heart. Joey smiled. Even though he felt no heat or heartbeat beneath his hand, he felt her delicate fingers and, for now, that was enough for him.

"Then let's go help Syrus, make sure we can all become human again." He winked, and before she could blink he scooped her up like a bride, knowing she hated it whenever he did it.

"Joey!" she growled, her shock quickly replaced by annoyance but Joey just kept smiling and carried her back inside.

* * *

"Jaden, will you slow down," Syrus ordered his secret lover. He almost stumbled over his own foot in his attempts to keep up with the taller, faster male. Again he cursed his youthful form. Why, oh why did his body have to freeze in time just as he was finally beginning to mature physically. "Jaden! We're almost by the dining hall!" The boy dug the heels of his boots into the stone of the floor, kicking up the rug as he did so, forcing Jaden to stop and turn around, but he didn't release his hold on Syrus' hand.

"You said you wanted to tell me something? Well out with it? I don't want to be away from the ballroom for too long."

"We won't be that long," Jaden smirked with a leer.

Syrus blushed and growled. "Don't even think about it."

Jaden laughed. "Actually, I wasn't. I do want to ask you something very important."

Syrus crossed his arms and straightened himself. "Well?"

Jaden took a breath and stiffened his back. "Will you do me the honors of being my date for the Feast of Saint Valentine ball? Not as a friend or as a companion but as mine and no one else's?"

Syrus swore he felt his footing slip, like the ground was about to give way beneath him. "Pardoné?" he asked, letting his French slip into his tone.

"I want us to go to the ball together. Where everyone will know we're together, if they don't already." Jaden's serious eyes betrayed his normally perky expression, but it told Syrus he'd never been more certain of anything before.

"You really want to take me?" His voice was shaking, but from what he wasn't sure.

Jaden smiled. "Of course, I do. I love you. And let's face it we can't hide this forever, and I honestly don't want to. This is the perfect—wah!" Before Jaden could finish his sentence a force like a wrecking ball plowed into his chest with such vigor it knocked the wind from his chest and sent him reeling to the floor.

"Do you even have to ask me?" Syrus hugged him so tightly, Jaden swore he felt one of his ribs crack, but the younger boy didn't notice it in his enthusiasm. Tears of bliss welled in Syrus' large silver eyes making them shimmer like quicksilver. "Of course I will!" He jumped off Jaden and grabbed his hand. Jaden stumbled forward as his little lover now dragged him back through the castle, impressibly fast for the boy's short stature. "Now I _have _to make sure the ballroom is spectacular! I'm going to make this a night no one forgets!" Syrus sang the entire trip back to the ballroom, Jaden stumbling and laughing behind him.

* * *

Seto awoke to find himself on one of the coaches in the library. A book lay flat against his chest and felt something warm and soft cuddling his lap. He looked down and his heart swelled when found Yami curled up like a cat at his side, Seto's trench coat draped over his lithe frame, a book clenched to Yami's chest, and his head cradled in the pillow of Seto's lap. Not having the heart to wake the boy and disrupt the cute scene, Seto stroked Yami's hair and smiled feeling the silky threads against his scales. Pride rushed through him when he felt Yami cuddle closer against him.

The past week had passed in a blur of bliss for Seto. With the staff completely occupied by the upcoming ball, the castle had been strangely quiet. Fortunately, for Seto he had Yami all to himself and the two had spent as much time as they could together. They'd spend the afternoon in the library or the gallery and on more than one occasion, like now, they'd fallen asleep there. Since Bakura and Ryou were busy cooking, Yami would fix them both something simple and they'd eat in their rooms. Sometimes they would just play games, or go outside. Phantom had been much more welcoming of Seto since their last encounter and while Yami rode him, Seto would fly by his side, and then take Yami flying afterwards, which the teen loved. The only exception had been the day Malik had dragged them both into his studio for measurements. He'd taken each one personally at least six times, determined to get everything exact. At night, they slept in the same room. Depending on which one was closer, they'd either sleep in Seto's room or Yami's. Yami sometimes found it annoying since Seto always held him so tight that he couldn't move unless Seto woke up. Of course, there had been times they'd wanted some time to their selves, understandably, but even those times didn't last long.

It was bliss for Seto. He'd miss this, having Yami in his arms all the time. But he too, missed the company of the servants. He missed having Chazz to talk to when he straightened his room, and Zane reading his mind in that odd manner of his. He dreaded tomorrow. The night would be spectacular but the preparation hours were always the worst. Last minute preparations, everyone getting ready to look their best: he just dreaded what Malik had planned in his devious little head. Oh well, he would wait until tomorrow, and for now, he would enjoy every second he got to spend with his precious desert rose.

Carefully, he slipped his arms under Yami's torso and slipped off the couch. Despite his efforts not to wake his sleeping rose, Yami shifted with the loss of his pillow and groaned. Carefully, Seto wrapped him in his coat and lifted him up.

"Seto," Yami moaned, the book slipping from his hands. When his half-lidded eyes saw who was holding him, he smiled and relaxed into the embrace, much to Seto's delight.

Despite Seto's desire, he carried his precious cargo back to Yami's own room rather than his own chambers, knowing full well Mai and Malik would tear him apart if they had to look for Yami in the morning, and he'd be damned if he got killed before he had a chance to ask his desert rose what he'd been wanting to ask him for almost two weeks. He was tempted to wake his sleeping rose up right now, but he resisted. He would wait for the perfect moment and proceed as planned.

When he reached Yami's room, he carefully deposited his young lover on the bed, slipped off his boots with his tail and covered him in the warm comforter. Yami snuggled into the pillows and Seto's coat hoping to recapture the missing warmth of the dragon. Unable to resist, Seto bowed forward and placed a gentle kiss on Yami's forehead then another on his cheek and finally stole a chaste kiss from his lips.

"Sleep tight, my dragon rose," he whispered before carefully backing away and turned to leave.

"Seto," Yami's voice froze the dragon in his steps, he carefully looked over his shoulder only to find Yami smirking in his sleep. "Thank you for the kiss." Yami smiled before snuggling back into his bed.

Seto smiled. "You're welcome."

* * *

"Oh Phantom." Yami sighed, dropping to his knees to stroke the exhausted horse's thick, oily mane. The horse lay sprawled on his side panting loudly, but Yami refused to let him sleep. It was too dangerous to let a horse lie down for too long, and Yami knew that. "You stubborn horse, I warned you not to push yourself so hard."

"He's fine," Jim assured him dumping the apples cores the horse left out the window. "Crazy horse ate enough for three horses and just conked out. He'll be fine after some sleep."

The horse rolled over and rested on his knees, burying his nose in Yami's hair. Yami grinned as the warm breath tickled his scalp and blew the hood of his heavy cloak off his hair. "You get a good rest buddy." Yami smiled until he felt something rough rub against his side harshly. He looked down and found Shirley rubbing her large snout against him. He head bucked his ribs harshly, wanting attention.

"Hello to you too, Shirley." He rubbed her head hoping to soothe her. "I'm sorry girl I didn't mean to ignore you." Yami pet her until he felt something swatting his arm. He turned around but found Phantom's tail resting limply on the ground. Shirley growled for reasons Yami didn't know.

"Shirley, behave," Jim scolded. The crocodile lowered her head, disgruntled but obeyed. Satisfied Jim turned to Yami. "You might want ta head back in and wash up, mate. The ball's tonight and if Mai catches you down here covered in dirt we'll both suffer her wrath." Jim meant it as a joke, but there was a warning in the tone.

Yami shuddered remembering his first encounter with Mai his second night at the castle. Despite his excitement about the event, he dreaded what would happen when Mai and Malik finally got their hands on him. Yami had no idea how exactly the whole ball extravagance was supposed to go, but based on what Seto told him, he'd knew he'd like it far better than the ones Rebecca hosted that all those invited were required to attend. It was the preparation he dreaded.

"There you are!" Both men jumped at the shriek. Shirley hid in a nearby haystack. Jim turned around and Yami looked up in time to see Mai standing in the doorway, her hair wind-blown and matted, and her clothes disheveled, and she panted like she'd been running for hours. Her dark eyes glared at Jim then she turned to Yami. "I have been looking everywhere for you! Do you know what time it is?"

Yami gulped under her stare. "Um…noonish?" He guessed.

"Exactly!" Mai threw her arms into the air, grabbed Yami's wrist and yanked him forward. "We've got to get you ready for the ball," she said taking in the teen's messy hair, mud and slush caked riding boots and dirt splattered riding clothes.

"What? Now!" Yami asked, "But it's not until tonight why did I need to get ready so early?"

"Yes! You're an absolute mess and we've got less than six hours to get you ready." Mai said dragging the stubborn teen inside.

"What? I am not! Jim?" Yami looked over his shoulder at the Ground Keeper for help, but Jim just threw his hands up in defense and chuckled nervously. "Sorry Yami, but she scares me more than you do."

"You get upstairs too!" Mai ordered. "You're a bigger mess than he is, and Syrus put too much work into this for you to show up looking horrible."

"Yes m'am," Jim smiled and followed them, Yami trying desperately to pry Mai's hand on his wrist, fearful of his destination.

Mai shoved Yami into his room and shut the door. Yami stumbled in his haste, and regained his footing inside his room. He blinked at the chaos circling around him. Serenity and Tea were both giggling with mischievous smiles while they set up the changing wall, Serenity holding a plethora of bathing supplies in her arms and chatting with Tea who was in the joint bathroom preparing a large tub with bubbles gurgling over the rims like a cauldron. Malik tapped his foot impatiently, holding a pile of clothing covered in red silk Yami assumed was his clothing. Jaden, Jesse and Syrus set up a changing wall and Joey sighed in the corner with his hand buried in his blond hair.

When they heard Yami stumble their eyes turned to him. Jesse, Jaden and Syrus immediately sat on Yami's bed: Jaden and Syrus both had sympathetic smiles on their faces while Jesse was trying hard to choke down laugher. Joey crossed his arms over his chest with a wide grin on his face. Malik's face twisted to a wicked smirk. The combination of looks sent a shiver down Yami's spine and he took a weary step back only to bump into Mai, who was perched at the door with her arms poised to catch him. It seemed the woman had anticipated _exactly _what Yami planned on doing. Her grin made Yami gulp and he turned around only to come face to face with Tea and Serenity. The normally sweet girls both sported, devilish smiles, like giddy school girls with a new doll. Realization made Yami wish he could sink into the floor.

"Why are you all looking at me like that?" he gulped, unsure if he truly wanted an answer to that question. He tried to take a hesitant step to the left, but Tea moved to stop him. He faked right and waited for Tea to move, then went left. Too late he realized his mistake.

"Gotcha!" Yami screeched when Mai pounced from behind him Yami was pinned by her strong, elegant hands before he could blink.

"Wha! Mai! Put me down!" Yami demanded thrashing his arms and legs, stunned that Mai managed to keep such a firm grip on his upper body.

"Oh no you don't," Mai taunted like Yami was a child who didn't want to take a bath. "You're not going anywhere. We're going to scrub you from head to toe." She laughed dragging Yami towards the bath, but Yami dugs his heels into the floor and tried to grab anything within reach to slow down his inevitable fate. He managed to free one of his arms from Mai's grip, but Serenity grabbed it and Tea grabbed his wrists. The three women laughed and dragged him towards the washroom, ignoring Yami's rants and protests.

Yami flashed a pleading look over his shoulder, but the boys gave him the same fearful but sympathetic smile Jim did. Jou smirked and threw his hands up. "Sorry Yams, I'm sitting this one out."

"W-w-w-wait," Yami pleaded gripping onto the rim of the bathroom door with his free fingers, holding on firmly as the girls tried to pull him off. His nails scratched off chunks of wood when they finally ripped him off. Mai shut the door and stripped him of his coat. A wicked gleam covered the three girl's faces.

"Don't worry, Yami," Tea matched Mai's grin. "When we're done with you Seto won't be able to keep his hands off you!"

Yami gulped and backed into a corner before the three giggling nymphs descended upon him.

Following a heavy splash and a string of curses, Syrus turned to Joey with concerned eyes. "Do you think Yami will be alright?"

Joey blinked. "Course he will. Why wouldn't he be?"

Syrus looked sheepish, so Jaden cut in. "Well, you know Mai tends to be a little…overzealous about things like this."

"Come guys, I know my wife," Joey assured them. "She's just wants to make sure everyone looks their best. It's not like she's going ta hurt Yami, or anything."

"GET YOUR CLAWS OFF ME, YOU SHARP TALONED HARPY!" the three boys jumped off the bed and all eyes turned the bathroom, the source of the scream.

"THAT'S ENOUGH OUT OF YOU." Mai's voice scolded, harshly.

A loud dunk of water echoed in the background, followed by a crash and an animalistic growl. The sounds of soapy brushes against flesh and multiple splashes of water, followed by feminine shrieks like cats who'd gotten their feet wet. The four listened to the chaos going on inside Yami's bath chamber, exchanged mutual looks of fear, concern and absolute terror. Syrus had jumped into Jaden's arms during the screaming fest, and Joey had jumped in fright on more than one occasion unable to believe what he was hearing.

"I'd never want to be a chamber maid," Jaden gulped hugging Syrus tightly too him. "It sounds dangerous."

"I'll say." Jesse agreed. "I think Mai's got her work cut out for her this time."

"Speaking of that," Malik turned to the servants on the bed who'd yet to dress themselves in the excitement. "You three, come with me, this whole extravaganza would be a waste if we weren't looking our best, too."

The trio blinked, before hopping off the bed and Malik hurried them out the door. Malik paused and glared Joey in the eye. "The _second _Yami's dressed."

"I know, I know," Joey promised. Malik was gone a moment later.

Joey sighed and looked down at his Maitre d' uniform. "Guess I better get mine and Mai's clothes too. Can't go to a party without my fancy threads."

* * *

Jesse's words were proven true not a second after the door shut. The girls had stripped Yami of his clothing faster than he could blink, and shoved him backwards into the tub of water sending a flood over the rim. Before he could protest, Mai uplifted a basin of water over his head, drenching him and began attacking his hair with soap and her long nails.

"GET YOUR CLAWS OFF ME, YOU SHARP TALONED HARPY!"Yami screamed a retort and shot to his feet, furious. "I'll scrub myself from head to toe! Thank you!"

He and Mai exchanged glares but the older woman was adamant. "THAT'S ENOUGH OUT OF YOU!" Mai scolded, harshly, and forced Yami back down by pushing his shoulders, surprising Yami with her strength. She shoved him under the water than hoisted him back up by his shoulders. Yami coughed and wheezed at soapy water filled his mouth, and released and animalistic growl but Mai held him firmly by his shoulders while he lashed in the tub. Tea and Serenity then attacked every inch of his body with soap, scrub brushes and a loofah sponge, gallantly battling the flailing limbs and the bathwater spraying all over them and the chamber floor.

"Hold still!" Mai thundered, tightening her grip on one hand as she used the other to scrub Yami's back and shoulders.

"Ow, stop that, Mai, you're choking me!" Yami screeched, furiously. He tried to spray her with water to get her to let go, but missed and hit Serenity instead. Serenity shrieked as she was sprayed when she tried to scrub his hair.

"I've only got your shoulders, now stop that!" Mai snapped.

"Gah!" Tea shrieked rinsing her scrub brush in one of the basins then drowned it in more soap. "My God, Yami, did you bathe at all this week? You're covered in grime!"

"No I'm not!" Yami howled, insulted.

"The hell you aren't, I could grow Duke a nursery in the muck I'd scrubbed off you!" Tea protested, returning to her crusade to rid the teen skin of any dirt.

"Traitor!" Yami insulted, then screamed in pain as a wave of soap fell into his face and stung his eyes. "Ow! Serenity! Get that out of my face, you're getting soap in my eyes!"

"I wouldn't if you'd hold still!" the youngest maid snapped, furiously attacking the floppy mane of tri-colored hair. "My God you have so much hair, Tea. Get me another basin; I'll need to wash this twice."

"The hell you are!" Yami tried to protest but before he could, Mai dunked him under the warm, sudsy water and hauled him up for Serenity to scrub at his hair, again.

Yami thrashed furiously like a caged wild animal. "This is worse than drowning in a frozen lake!" He thrashed his limbs causing Mai's grip to falter, but she quickly recovered.

"Mai, don't let him go or he'll 'cause a havoc!" Tea shrieked, concerned, grabbing another basin of water and dumped it over Yami's head ridding his hair and upper body of soap, but it only worsened his already foul mood.

"Just wait until I get out of this!" Yami warned, as Tea drained the bath and Serenity kept dumping water over him to remove the soap.

* * *

Seto heaved himself out of his private bathtub the second he heard the door to his room slam open. Water pooled at his feet and his heavy wings shook violently hoping to free the waterlogged limbs from the heavy water weighing them down. He ran a hand through his damp hair spreading raindrops everywhere before grabbing a towel and proceeded to dry himself as best he could. Once dry, he let his damp wings hang loose and wrapped the towel around his waist. When he entered his joint bedroom, he found Chazz sitting on his bed about to fall over in his half-conscious state. The boy jumped back to life when Malik entered, dragging Jaden, Syrus and Jesse behind him.

"You're not dressed yet?" Malik shrieked. "What is wrong with you people? How am I supposed to make alterations is none of you try your clothes on?"

"Calm down, Malik, there's still plenty of time," Seto snapped, drying his hair, while Chazz helped him dry off his heavy wings. "Thank you, Chazz."

"No problem," Chazz smiled, proudly, throwing the towels over the chairs and handed him the neat pile of clothing Malik had laid out for him. Seto grabbed the breeches off the top and disappeared behind the wall while Chazz turned to his companions. "Why are you three here again?" he blinked. "I thought you were supposed to be helping Yami and fixing up the ballroom?"

"The Ballroom's done," Syrus boasted, thrusting his chest forward proudly. "Bakura and Ryou are just setting up the food right now. I personally made sure everything is perfect!" The boy flashed a triumphant smile.

"You didn't go overboard did you, Syrus?" Seto asked, coming out from behind the wall, and look at the rest of the clothes. "Could you help me, Chazz? You need three people to put this thing on?" Chazz nodded and helped his lord to the ties and buttons on the difficult outfit Malik had concocted.

"No, I didn't," Syrus answered with a proud glint in his eyes. "This is my far my grandest work!"

"And I helped!" Jaden smiled, wrapping his arms around Syrus' waist, while Jesse laughed at his enthusiasm.

"Flirt later," Malik scolded, thrusting three set of clothes into their arms and forcibly propelled them all into the bathroom. "It's time to get dressed!" He shut the door and left the boys to change before turning to Chazz and his Master. "Are you two finished yet? Chazz needs to get dressed too!"

"I'm going as fast as I can, Malik!" Chazz complained standing on his toes to meet his Master's taller height and snap the chains on the front in place. "This thing has knots that have knots!"

"Step off now, it isn't that bad," Malik protested, sitting cross-legged on the bed, waiting impatiently for them to finish..

"Malik this thing has at least six pieces!" Seto snapped.

"So what? It looks brilliant, doesn't it? Besides Yami's is worse."

"I believe it." Chazz sighed, when he finished buttoning his Master's top. "But he's right you look brilliant! Yami's going to be speechless."

Seto smiled and spun around in front of the full body mirror to test his new clothes from all angles. "I'll admit it, I didn't think it was possible, but Malik's outdone himself." Seto beamed with pride. "Hopefully, it'll be enough to convince my desert rose." Seto mumbled to himself, and bit his tongue when he'd used 'my' again.

"Tonight he'll be yours, is what I think you meant," Chazz corrected earning him a confused look from his Master. Chazz smiled. "We all know what you're thinking, Kaiba. We wouldn't be a good staff if we didn't know what our Master was thinking. You have nothing to worry about."

Seto smiled, mentally scolding himself for doubting his staff's loyalty. "I hope you're right, Chazz. I know Yami's answer, but there's still a nagging disbelief that's there." His sharp claws ran through his bangs.

"Don't be nervous," Chazz reassured him. "Yami feels the same way about you. Even if he's not ready to admit it out loud just yet, and everyone from here to Heaven knows how you feel about him." That made Seto smile.

"Alright, you," Malik interrupted them. "Time to get you changed." The tailor dragged the teenager away.

Before Chazz could blink, he'd been thrown into the same room as his friends, stripped and redressed in a new outfit that almost made him shriek when he saw himself in the mirror. "What the hell is this, Malik? I look ridiculous!"

"Nonsense!" Malik teased, examining the outfit from all. "I just _had _to put you in something other than those old trench coats and with your wings you look adorable!" The tailor clapped his hands together gleefully.

"I don't want to look adorable!" Chazz groaned. He knew it was rude to complain and he should be grateful but Malik had decked him out in formfitting black pants with a silver chains dangling along the lower hip, a pair of spiked-heeled ankle boots, and a shirt made of a smooth black material that was open in the back, but the bottom billowed over his hips. There were no sleeves, instead the top material was held with a double ring that hung loosely about his neck. Long fingerless black gloves with sapphires encrusted over the back of the hands climbed up his arms, held to the collar of the shirt by gold chains. The open back allowed his leather black wing and his feather white wing to slip out the back. Overall, it was a comfortable outfit, but Chazz had grown so used to lose clothing that covered everything but his hands and head that wearing form fitting clothing that showed even bits and pieces of his skin made him feel exposed. "And I was hiding my wings on purpose." Chazz grumbled.

"At least yours doesn't make you look like a girl!" Syrus complained taking in his own outfit, consisting of baby blue form-fitting pants and a white long tunic that was also turtle necked but pillowed almost like a dress near the bottom. Long white gloves with wide ends that curved to points formed sleeves over his shoulders and a large bright blue bow half his size, tied in the back.

"Lay off Sy, you look spectacular" Jaden assured him tying the bow. His own costume consisted of a crimson militaristic style outfit, complete with gold accents, black gloves, knee-high black boots and a crimson cape thrown over one shoulder, held with chains and trimmed with fur along the edges.

Jesse sat on the bed watching them. He eased his boredom by picking at a loose thread on his white, knee-length pants that pillowed from the calf down. His outfit was similar to Chazz's but the shirt was a sleeveless turtleneck and was dark navy blue, and his sleeves were fabric bunched up from the wrists to the upper arms. Silver legging peeked above his knee-high black and silver boots. Normally not his style, but he didn't mind.

"What did I tell you, Kaiba," Malik boasted, loudly, clapping his hands together. "My best work!"

"I believe so," Seto nodded, brushing his russet locks to perfection. "Now I'm curious to see what you conjured for Yami."

"That reminds me!" Malik bolted towards the door. "Mai forgot Yami's coat. Blast the woman; I swear if he's not ready by the time I get there, heads will roll!" Kaiba and his staff laughed hearing Malik's rant echoing off the hallways.

"I believe that is our cue," Seto announced. The servants quickly proceeded to take their positions in the ballroom, Chazz was the last to leave but Seto stopped him.

"Before you go, will do me a grand favor, Chazz?"

"Of course, name it?" Chazz replied. Seto swooped over to a corner of the room and pulled out two strange silver boxes. He opened one and pulled out the most beautiful piece of jewelry Chazz had ever seen: a golden chocker with the design of dragons curling around roses etched into the gold and a ruby pendant cut into a rose shape.

"Will you give this to Yami, for me? Tell him if he still wishes to me mine tonight, he'll wear it, but if not I'll understand."

Chazz nodded and bolted towards the East Wing as fast as his wings could carry him. Seto smiled before opening the second box and pulled out an identical chocker, only this one was silver with a sapphire rose and snapped it around his neck then descended down the Western entrance to the ballroom. He couldn't wait to see what Malik planned for Yami.

* * *

Early evening found Yami plopped on a stool in front of the vanity, his chin resting irritated in his hand while Mai, Tea and Serenity dried, brushed and tried in vain to do something with his untamable hair. After two hours of vicious bathing, he'd been dragged out of the tub, dried, dressed in a thin, silk bathrobe for the next phase of his torture. The light material felt wonderful against his tender skin, raw from having half his skin scrubbed off, at least that's what he felt like.

"My God, you have so much, hair! Joseph! Get me another brush!" Mai hollered over her shoulder. The Maitre d' rushed in, now sporting his new clothing as opposed to his Maitre d' uniform: a long velvet green frock coat, folded over and buttoned down the left side of the chest to hip in a militaristic fashion with gold fur trimming the right shoulder, and matching pants, white gloves and black boots with gold buckles.

It took all of Yami's willpower not to bury his head in his folded arm, but he knew the girls would shriek if he did. He bit back and growl every time they came across a particularly stubborn tangle.

"I don't think we'll be able to do anything with his hair, Mai" Serenity said letting the silk strands bounce back to their natural shape.

"I could've told you that," Yami snapped.

"Oh, be nice," Tea scolded, playfully.

Mai pondered for a bit. "I suppose we'll just have to touch it up with jewelry then." She clapped her hands together. "Your ears are pierced, right Yami?"

"Yes," Yami replied looking over his shoulder.

"Wonderful," Mai cheered. "I'll be right back then, thank God Malik decided to go with the gold!" The woman vanished and emerged a moment later with a small wooden jewelry box and began digging through the pieces. Finally, she gave a triumphant "Ha!" and gently titled Yami's head so it was facing her. "Hold still." She gently pierced his ears with dangling, gold and ruby earrings shaped like a flying phoenix with a rainbow feathered tail, and placed a crown-like headdress shaped like phoenix wings curled around a large ruby on his head, allowing his bangs to spill over it.

"There! You look wonderful!" The girls cheered, while Yami examined their work in the mirror. He'd never been fond of gold accessories before but found himself liking them as he admired his reflection.

"Now all we need to do is get you dressed," Tea decided.

"Hurry up, Mai!" Malik thundered, as if on cue, hammering, loudly on the door. "I have less than three hours until the ball starts! I need to see if his clothes need any alterations!"

"We're coming, keep your mouth shut!" Mai threw the door open and the girls led Yami behind the changing wall to help him into the difficult outfit. After a few minutes Yami was glad he had the girls' help getting ready. The outfit Malik had created for the evening had more ribbons and ties on it than he cared to count; it would've been a bear to get the thing on properly by himself.

"Wow, you've out done yourself, Malik," Tea complimented over the wall. "He looks ravishing!"

"I told you he'd look splendid in gold," Serenity added.

"Good thing we went with Egyptian gold too," Mai smiled, lacing up the back of Yami's clothing. Yami skimmed over what it was exactly he was wearing, and blushed taking in just how splendid that gold outfit actually was. "Are you all sure about this? It is splendid, but I'll probably make it look ridiculous."

Before anyone could protest Malik thundered over. "I don't ever want to hear that come out of your mouth again!" Malik scolded swatting Yami's head with two fingers making him wince. "First of all," he pointed forcing Yami to look up at him. "_Nothing _I make looks ridiculous. _Ever_." He spoke in a harsh tone, but it softened as he continued but did not lose an ounce of its authority. "Second, that's nonsense and you know it. You're just nervous. I could strip you naked and send you to that ball room in nothing but a smock and you'd still look fantastic, and don't you ever let yourself forget it. Got it?"

Yami blinked at the tailor's earnessness then smiled, suddenly feeling very silly.

"We're all done," Mai announced.

"Good," Malik grabbed Yami's clothed wrists and pulled him back into his room.

Joey released a whistle of approval. "Looking good, Yam."

"Now, for the final touch," Malik grabbed something and threw it over Yami's head and clasped the chains holding it together. Yami looked over his shoulder to get a good look and gasped. "Malik is this?"

Malik smirked. "Seto asked me to fit it for you. It was impossible to get it back into its original knee length without completely destroying it, you're so short and all, but once I fixed the shoulders I decided an ankle length would work too." Malik explained, though Yami twitched when Malik mentioned his height.

"Now then, you're done. Just give me a few minutes to get everyone else dressed and we'll escort you to the ballroom. Got to do this traditionally after all," Malik blinked, ushering everyone out of the room, leaving Yami alone.

Alone at last, he looked at his reflection and smirked proudly as the stunning being staring back at him. "I do look good." A knock disturbed his play. "Come in."

Chazz entered the room holding a box in his hand which almost slipped when he took in Yami's new appearance. "Wow."

Yami smirked, proudly. "You too, can I help you with anything?"

"Huh, oh!" Chazz looked confused then blushed and straightened himself. "Kaiba asked me to bring this to you. He said if you still want to be his for the evening he'd like you to wear it, but he said he would understand if you didn't."

"Thanks Chazz," Yami nodded. "I'll see you downstairs."

Chazz bowed and left. Yami sat on the bed and carefully opened the box gasping at the gold and ruby chocker inside. His fingers gingerly traced over the elegant carvings and circled the beautifully cut ruby shaped exactly like a blooming rose. Carefully, he removed it from the box and clasped it around his own neck.

* * *

Seto stood in the center of the ballroom watching as all but Mai and Malik fluttered about the ballroom seeing to the last minute preparations. Syrus polished glass, Bakura and Ryou rearranged the spread for the fifth time, Duke arranged the flower vases and spreading blooms decoratively along the table. It left Seto torn between putting his foot down and telling them enough was enough, or laughing in amusement. At the moment, amusement was winning. Fortunately, Joey beat him to the punch when the Maitre d' burst into the room and groaned loudly at the chaos. "Will you all knock it off! He's comin!" the blond barked, "And it's a party, so all of ya just relax, okay."

His words made everyone jump then finish what they were doing before taking their positions. After all, it would be rude to start without the guest of honor. Joey stopped when he walks past Kaiba. "You," he pointed in a semi warning tone then winked. "Be nice, and don't get any nasty ideas."

Seto blinked as the smirking blond walked by, and turned around, following him with his eyes. What on earth was that supposed to mean? Before he could ponder the matter he heard a loud angry "Ow," beyond the closed doors of the ballroom.

"Ugh! I hate these boots!"

"Hey! What did I say, about that, Yami?"

"Malik, that's the third time I've tripped in these things! Look at these heels? They're a bloody death trap!"

"Oh shut up, do you have any idea how long it took me to make those!"

"Shut up you two! We're here!" The doors swung open revealing Mai in all her beauty dressed in a long strapless black dress with long matching gloves and a simple purple torsolette. Amethyst dangled from her ears and throat and her hair was crowned in silver and amethyst chains.

Malik was next to enter, and to no one's surprise the Tailor had reserved an equally grand attire for himself. He was adorned in black and purple that looked like an elegant pirate costume with a large, feathered hat and accented with gold chains and accents. Marik wore a similar costume but instead of a coat the man sported a heavy black cape trimmed with lavender fur, elegantly thrown over his shoulder. The two men waited for their guest of honor but when all they heard was a string of curses, Malik rushed back out. "Come _on_!"

"Malik, don't shove, you'll make me trip," Yami complained almost stumbling over his shoes, but Marik was quick to catch him and elegantly yanked him into the ballroom. The second Yami entered the room, time froze. Without realizing it, the boy was commanding the attention of the room. Flowers slipped from Duke's fingers, while Tea's arms fell at her side. Bakura didn't notice the wine he was pouring was missing Ryou's cup. Joey beamed at everyone's stunned faces and Syrus, Jesse and Jaden's eyes widened with mystification. Seto Kaiba couldn't take his eyes off of him. Across the room Mai and Malik illuminated pride at their accomplishment, but Yami didn't notice their stares, all he saw, was the Dragon King standing in the middle of the room, looking every inch like a fairy tale prince.

Instead of his traditional, simple attire of a long-sleeves shirt, pants and trench coat, Seto wore a white long-sleeved overcoat with a blue interior. Black gauntlets covered his claws vanishing beneath the blue cuffs. Gold buttons from knee to neck opened to reveal the rest of the outfit: a gold and dark blue broadcloth waist coat created from gilt thread damask in the shape of flying dragons. A series of gold chains draped over the collar held the waist coat together, revealing the gold, buttoned up storm blue canvas doublet vest Seto wore underneath. A thick black belt done with a gold clasp with a single sapphire held the coat tightly to his waist allowed the red to flare over his hips. Instead of traditional pants, he wore black breeches that hugged his knees, giving the allusions that his scaled legs were boots. His tail and wings completed the image, fluttering in the air giving the king the appearance of an ethereal being. When Yami met his eyes he found Seto sported a blank expression, and stunned mystification caused his eyes to bulge, and his trembling lips refused to speak.

"Um," Yami blushed suddenly taking in everyone's equally stunned expressions. "Is something wrong?"

Seto almost didn't hear him, too lost in the magnificent vision that was Yami Mouto. He had wondered what Malik could possibly create to make the desert rose look more beautiful than he already was and never in his life had Seto been so happy to be proven wrong.

Yami was resplendent in an Egyptian gold military style-vest cut at the shoulders and with a neckline done in a moiré pattern. A small half-moon had been removed from the top exposing the throat; the collar around it was trimmed with gold and jade appliqué in the shape of flames curled like peacock feathers. It hugged Yami's figure in all the right places and the criss-crossing ruby straps across the sides blended into the color scheme while showing off a good amount of skin. Over the vest, a pale green and gold damask torsolette molded his waist and chest laced up the front with gold ribbons. Tiny jade and topaz flames embroidered the damask patterns. Gold pants sculpted his legs like a second skin. The seams along the outside were made of a series of black Xs from the hip to mid leg and tied with a black belt around the hips with a buckle shaped like phoenix. Tall gold boots with thick black soles and tall heels covered his feet laced in the front with red ribbons and trimmed with black fur at the top. He wore no sleeves, instead gloves from wrists to upper shoulder decorated his arms, laced with criss-crossing scarlet ribbons tied in loose bows at the tops, and covered his arms. Draped over the whole outfit and held to together by gold chains across the collar was a black trench coat fixed to fit Yami's shoulders, the sleeves dangled at his sides and the cloak flared in the minimal air like a cape. If the gold dragon and rose long the arm and winged rose on the back were any indication, it was the same coat Seto's bundled Yami in during his first night in the castle.

But all Seto could focus on was the choker around Yami's neck. Pride surged through him, as well as delight. Draped in Egyptian gold complementing his skin tone, the red ribbons matching his eyes, and the leather-like material of that outfit hugging his form combined with the flowing style of the coat, and crown accenting his fiery hair, and the khol making his eyes look sharper and brighter, Yami was the image of an Egyptian God.

Unable to resist any longer, Seto approached him with grace as if her were walking on there and pulled the teen into an embraced that made him stumble over the heels of his boots. "You'll have to forgive them, Kitten." Seto embraces him. "They've just never seen anyone so beautiful before…if I didn't know them better; I'd almost think they were jealous you're with me."

Yami blushed as red as the ruby at his neck, while Seto addressed the Tailor and Mistress of the Wardrobe. "Thank you both, you have truly out done yourselves." He praised, before turning to the staff. "I'd like to thank you all for joining us this evening. Tonight, we are all friends not Masters and Servants, and my only request is that you all enjoy the night to your heart's content…and Ryou, keep Jaden and Jesse away from the food."

With that the party began, and Yami fully took in the grand ballroom. Across the room against the walls Bakura and Ryou had set up an enormous spread across long tables covered with gold cloth, and dotted with bouquets of beautiful flowers in crystal vases. The glass floor beneath him had been smoothed and polished revealing the pale gold tiles encrusted with tiny multi-colored crystals beneath. The windows and walls were free of dust and the stained glass shimmered like multi-colored prisms in the thousands of candles. Candles lined the walls and flooded the enormous chandeliers overhead like thousands of flaming stars. Above him the stain glass image of an enormous white dragon flying and roaring seemed to move with the moonlight flooding behind it and the candle light beneath it, momentarily making Yami think it was alive.

Around him music started to play though he was unsure where it came from. At the table Joey and Marik where devouring the food, while Duke poured Tea a glass of wine. Jaden and Syrus were dancing in the corner while Jesse and Chazz laughed and mingled. Zane had struck up a conversation with Jesse. Serenity was showing off her new dress to Mai and Bakura was devouring what looked like meat, while Ryou laughed. Was this really the ballroom he'd seen not months before, caked in dust and dead looking?

"I take it you're impressed?" Seto asked with a smirk, pouring the two of them a glass of wine.

"This is amazing," Yami smiled, taking the glass. "Did everyone do all this?"

Seto nodded. "They were ecstatic to have a new project. Syrus was quite adamant that this place be perfect for the evening."

"It is," Yami sipped the wine. "Thank you, so much. I didn't think anyone would do all this for me."

Seto smirked and kissed his forehead. "I'd do anything for you, and so would everyone else.

Yami smiled at that.

"Hmmm, I was right." Seto grinned, examining Yami from head to toe.

"About what?" Yami asked.

Seto's grin widened. "That coat does look better on you than it ever did on me." Yami flushed at that.

That party continued all night. Though the staff was not large, they had taken their King's words to heart and mixed and mingled with both their Master and their guest that whole evening. Drinking wine, devouring food and deserts, on several occasions takes some of the flowers and given them to their lovers for the evening. Duke had kept a special white lily left over for Tea to put in her hair since it matched her dress, which she happily accepted. By the time the food was gone, even Bakura and Zane had found themselves smiling and laughing.

Music started playing though Yami couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from, but it started off like a soft chime of bells or a flute, followed by a faster, steadier rhythm and beat. Words that seemed unique to each person danced in the air like a tune only lovers could understand. Seto took Yami's hands and met his eyes, before gesturing towards the dance floor. Yami gave him a nervous glance, but Seto was quick to crush it, and swooped the boy towards the center of the room. Yami had never been good at ball room dancing, but Seto just whispered to him to keep his eyes on him, and suddenly he found himself dancing to a familiar tune as if he's done it all his life.

Shortly after, Syrus took Jaden's hand and dragged him towards the dance floor. The brunette, however, exchange glances with Zane, when he caught the stony eyes he smiled, but his eyes were adamant. Though his expression did not change, Zane nodded, and stood next to Jim to watch them. Marik was quick to drag Malik on to the dance floor, followed shortly by Ryou and Bakura. Joey bowed gentlemanly towards Mai, which she humored. Not one to be left out Serenity, grabbed Chazz and Jesse and dragged them onto the dance floor with her. Eventually even Duke and Tea joined, and before long the whole room was dancing.

Quickly, as the music picked up, the ball room dance shifted with the change in the music taking a quicker and more upbeat pace. Once that had everyone tapping their feet against the glassy floor and dancing in circles. Soon everyone exchange partners, dancing faster and faster as the music picked up. They clapped hands and spun in circles, filling the room with the sound of tap dancing among the antiphony of drums beating, horns blowing, piano keys and violin strings, and the clapping of hands in time with the tempo, until finally both Yami and Seto spun until everyone once again traded partners and they found themselves, face to face, hand in hand with one another panting heavily from the dancing.

Around them everyone clapped and cheered, until the softer melody returned. Yami positioned himself to dance again but Seto surprised him by pulling him against his chest and flapping his wings taking him into the air. Yami gasped at first but Seto calmed him down and stopped when they were positioned directly beneath the stain glass dragon. Around them the chandeliers blazed like black castles set on fire. Seto held his wings steady, allowing him to remain airborn. When Yami felt Seto's grip loosen he immediately, held onto him tighter.

"Don't be afraid." Seto assured him, and he gently eased Yami's hands off him. Yami gasped when his feet suddenly felt solid, like it was not air he was standing on, but solid ground.

"Ho-?" he gasped words.

"It's a secret," Seto winked, childishly, and offered his hand to Yami. The young man smirked and accepted it and before long they were once again dancing on air. Seto's arm around his waist, their fingers locked Seto wings and Yami's cape dancing around them in the air. Seto let Yami go to spin him then pulled him close again. Then it was Yami's turn to lead, which he did so, quite impressively, much to Seto's surprise. Neither of them needed words. They spoke with their eyes, their bodies moving in tune with one another in a breath taking aerial dance while below the staff members danced with their spouses and lovers in a single magic moment that would last a life time. They danced across the ceiling, with no limits to where they could go, until Seto unexpectedly picked Yami up and let himself float to the ground towards a set of doors open to a large balcony.

"Come with me," Seto asked, setting Yami down, and weaving their fingers together, with no fear of hurting him. "I want to show you something." He led Yami outside towards the balcony. Yami pulled the coat tighter around him when the late winter air hit him. Despite the full moon hanging in the sky, night had veiled the castle ground in darkness. Still, Yami waited for Seto to speak.

Instead, Seto carefully removed his gauntlets and set them aside, sparks crackled in his hands. He closed his eyes and focused until the sparks took the form of an electrical sphere. Yami's eyes widened, and resisted the urge to touch it. When Seto opened his eyes again he lifted his chin and Yami gasped as the sphere floated from his hands like a wraithe and floated towards the sky like a shooting star. Suddenly it burst, raining star dust that fell like scattered jewels taking the shapes of a flying dragon wrapping itself around an elegant rose, a phoenix flying across the sky before bursting into flames and other images that looked like winged beings dancing.

"Wow!" Yami braced the railing with exuberant hands, his eyes lit with childish wonder and amazement, as the images danced in the air with no sign if stopping. Seto controlled each one with a flick of his claws and wrists then finally they all spiraled back together and burst in the air like a big bang and rained glitter upon the earth.

"How did you do that?" Yami asked, enthralled.

"Lots and lots of practice," Seto boasted, proudly. "I thought you'd enjoy it."

"I love it!" Yami said, happily and hugged Seto tightly. "Thank you! This was the best night of my life."

"I'm glad," Seto smiled, feeling his heart swell at that smile. "Because I want to ask you something."

"Anything," Yami let go and listened intently, but his smile fell when Seto frowned, and turned around to look at the sky.

"You've been here for almost five months Yami, and despite the ups and downs, they were some of the happiest times of my life…" Seto spoke, kindly, but there was somberness in his words that made Yami's sense feel unstable. "I still can't believe all this is happening, that I'm really this happy, and I can only hope I've made you half as happy as you've made me," Seto looked down hunching himself over, like he was ashamed of what he was about to say next. "But they truth is Yami, you're still a prisoner. _My _prisoner."

Yami immediately opened his mouth to protest, but Seto covered his lips with his claws, making him freeze. "Let me finish," he pleaded. Reluctantly, Yami did so. "Even though I haven't thought of you in such a way for a long time, and I know no one else does, it doesn't change the fact that you are one, and you can't change that. _I_, however, can."

Yami's heart dropped into his stomach, fear and dread suddenly overcoming him when he realized what it was Seto was implying. Again, he wanted to speak, to protest no words come to him; only strangled gasps of air escaped his throat. "I'm not a prisoner." He managed to choke.

Sensing his distress, Seto placed a hand on his shoulder and bent down to Yami's eye level. "Whether anyone thinks so or not doesn't change that fact." Seto smiled but his eyes were sad. "And you deserve better than that. You deserve your freedom, the freedom I took away from you. I regret that, I truly do, but had I not done so I might have never met you so it is not a bad regret."

Yami tried to look away again, but Seto wouldn't let him. "I'm bound to this place, but you are not, and I won't keep you here against your will any longer."

Yami felt hot tears peek the corner of his eye; his chest suddenly felt heavy and hard like something was digging into it with sharp claws. "What…what are you saying, Seto?"

Seto sighed hesitantly then turned to Yami with a neutral smile. "I'm releasing you, Yami. You're no longer my prisoner."

* * *

Oh I am such a bitch! XD Long Live the Queen!

I am super proud of all the outfit designs in this, especialyl Yami and Seto's (i am super proud of those two) I wanted to do something different and unique for them both in terms of both color and fomr, but still their style. Obviously, Malik had a feild day XD.

Basically this had two parts: the first part being the staff coming to terms with their existance and futures and giving them more story, which i LOVE doing, and Yami and Seto at the ball-which was SO much fun. I think my favorite scene not including when Seto and Yami see each other for the first time is the bath scene of Yami and the girls i did. it was jsut SO much fun to write and i was a fraid Yami sounded ooc but i can imagin anyone doing that in his position.

Stay tuned for the next chap, cause I can say right now, if you want to kill me now don't...cause one i get the next chap up, you will be worshiping the ground i walk on...(wow, I'm letting my power go to my head. XD)


	26. Chapter 25: The Dragon and the Rose

This definitely took a lot longer than i planned-damn college, but I'm still proud with how fast i managed to finish it, including editing since it usually takes me a lot long with chapters like this...

But anyway, here is the long awaited next chapter of Dragon Rose! PREPARE TO FALL TO YOUR KNEES AND ITS AWESOMENESS, SKEPTICS! MWAHAHAHAHAHAAHAH

**Disclaimer: **I own nothng. Takehashi owns Yami and Seto, Beauty and the Beast belongs to the French, yadda yadda, point is i'm doing this for fun and cause i have no life.

**Dedication: **Dedicated to all my loyal fans and reviewers who have stuck with me from the very beginning and are now being rewarded with this long awaited chapter.

**WARNING: **Grab a box of tissues and a bottle of water, because you WILL be dehydrated after this chapter..why I don't tell, bu i won't be held responsible is any of you die from dehydration-though i won't forgive myself, if that's the case...basically just keep them on standbye, I've alreayd made enough people cry with this story without any prior warning.

**Song: **Come What May(PLAY IT!)

* * *

Chapter 25: The Dragon and The Rose

Yami felt his blood run cold. Unsure whether to feel upset or grateful, he, instead, felt baffled and numb. Like he'd been told everything he knew about himself was a lie and there was a huge pit in his stomach, he couldn't fathom how it got there. "I don't understand."

Seto gave him a small smile but his eyes were sad. "Exactly as it sounds: I'm releasing you, you are no longer my prisoner, nor do you have to stay here if you choose not to."

The words made Yami's heart sink. "I don't understand? You just told me how happy I make you, and then you turn right around and say I don't have to live here anymore?" He looked at the ground with wide eyes, uncertain what to say or what to think. "What are you implying, Kaiba? Do you want me to leave, now?" He whispered.

"What?" Seto shot up, instantly concerned when Yami used his surname instead of his given name. "No, that's not…"

"Then explain it to me, Kaiba?" Yami demanded, his hands shook at his sides, and his gaze fixated on the ground. "I told you I'm not a prisoner, so why?"

"Because I don't want you to stay here against your will!" Seto said louder than he intended, causing Yami to shoot up, immediately confused.

Panic flooded Seto at Yami's stare. Quickly, he opened his mouth to speak but only chocked gasps escaped. His heart race picked up when he saw Yami's gaze return to the ground, his long bangs darkening his grim face. "I never felt like a prisoner, Seto," Yami said, softly. "Maybe at first I did, but I honestly can't remember when I stopped feeling like that, but…"

Before Seto could say a word, Yami leaned forward and kissed his cheek, then pulled away with a small, sad smile. "This has been the happiest time of my life, as well."

When Yami turned to leave, Seto, acting on instinct, grabbed Yami's hand gently, and forced words out of his strangled throat. "Yami, please!" he begged, even though Yami still wouldn't turn around. "Let me explain. I know you're not a prisoner. I told you, I haven't thought of you as that for a long time, but as I said the fact still remains and…if you stayed here and things continued as they are, I would still feel like I'm keeping you here, or that you're only here because you're obligated to by a silly bargin, and I don't want that. I don't want you to stay because you have to or because I want you too, but because you want to—" Seto froze when Yami went rigid and shot up, but he still refused to turn around. His heart sank when he felt Yami's hand slip away from his.

"What did you say?" Yami asked with shaky hands. He didn't move. He couldn't. Not yet. Not in case his ears were playing tricks on him. He couldn't let his pounding heart override his rationality, no matter how much he wanted it to.

Seto's eyes bulged when he realized what it was Yami meant. He mentally kicked himself for his idiotic babbling. This wasn't how he planned it, but then again by now he should've figured things in life hardly ever went as he planned.

Regaining his focus, Seto straightened his posture, took a breath in a vain attempt to ease his rapid heart, and straightened his arms with his hands at his sides. Regardless of the situation, he wanted to ask Yami, and he was going to, now or never.

He opened his mouth to speak but found himself stuttering. He cleared his throat and turned his gaze to the ground, not wanting to see Yami's face if he was rejected. "Yami…will you…stay with me."

Stunned was an understatement, Yami was certain he felt his heart temporarily stop. Like it was so happy and scared that the combination of the two at once had been too much for it.

When Yami didn't answer, Seto continued. "Will you stay with me…with everyone…at this castle, not as a captive or a prisoner, or as a servant or even a companion or guest, but because _you _want to…stay here, I mean…" Seto stuttered unable to control the words pouring through his shaking lips.

"Seto," Was all Yami said. He didn't turn around, but the single word was enough to freeze Seto's tongue. "Do you…I mean," Yami looked up trying to keep his own voice steady. "Do you _want_ me to stay?"

Seto blinked. "What?"

"Just answer me," Yami whirled around and chocked back a worried gasp, but failed to conceal the panic in his eyes. "Just tell me, yes or no. Do you _want_ me to stay with you?"

Seto looked at Yami like he was asking him why the sky was blue. Then, carefully, Seto took his shoulders and pulled Yami close so their eyes met. Seto's frosty sapphire eyes burst with so much emotion it made Yami's own eyes bulge. "Of course, I want you to stay, Yami! I want that more than anything." His words were loud and passionate but faded off as he looked towards the ground, his shaky hands loosely hanging off Yami's shoulders. "But, I don't want you to stay because your obligated to by a rule or a debt, or even because I request it, I want you to stay only if it's what _you _want, you deserve the chance to make your own decision…but" Seto carefully heaved himself up and looked into Yami's baffled eyes, silently praying the younger understood what he was trying to say. "Yes, Yami, I do want you to stay. I want that more than I've ever wanted anything else…I want you…to be mine."

There it was. He finally said. Not in the way he planned, but he no longer cared. He just wanted to know Yami's response.

At first, Yami couldn't speak. His mind swam like a sea of chaotic fish trapped in a fisher's net. His heart hammered so excitedly against his ribs Yami thought it was dancing. His entire body felt heavy and incredibly light at once. He felt tears soothe his eyes, though he barely felt them. His mouth unconsciously curved into a wide smile. "Yes,"

"Pardon?" Seto looked up only to find Yami smiling despite the small tears glittering in his blithe eyes.

Instead of answering, Yami wrapped his arms tightly around Seto's neck; the action too sudden for the Dragon King to prepare and he was almost thrown backwards. Yami rested his chin on Seto's shoulder, happy tears streaked his cheeks, and he smiled when he felt Seto wrap his arms around him, gingerly, like he was confused. Yami pulled back to face Seto, no doubt or hesitation marred his face or voice. "Yes, Seto, I will stay with you, I want…"he looked down when he felt his face flame. "I want you to be mine, as well."

Yami leaned forward on the tips of his boots, grateful for the added height, and kissed Seto's lips. The king responded by wrapping one arm around Yami's waist and taking Yami's arm in the other, pulling him level with him and deepening their kiss. It was different from their other kisses. It was stronger, fiercer, and more forceful: both of them pouring all of their emotions into a single kiss.

Yami's arms subconsciously wrapped around Seto's neck and pulled himself closer against him. In response, Seto leaned down and pressed his lips deeper against Yami's, his gauntlet-covered claws wrapped around the back of Yami's head, kissing him harder. When both their lips parted, their tongues coasted the others' out of hiding. They tasted the other for the first time, but their kiss never lost an ounce of its gentleness. They moved against each other like they were one being, neither willing to break away unless they sensed the other about to do so, also.

Seto's gauntlets safely began to roam Yami's body while his tongue continued to explore Yami's inviting mouth. His tail slithered up Yami's leg like a serpent, sending a delicious shiver up Yami's spine. The action caused Yami's grip on Seto to falter and his own hands began to explore the warm skin buried beneath the many layers of his clothing. Yami's mind was spinning. Feelings and instincts he'd never felt before spiraled inside him creating a dangerous heat. Heavy pants and moans escaped him with each of Seto's touches. Each one making his body burn and feel more alive than ever.

Seto wanted him. That thought alone made his rational thoughts dance away like the wind and his natural desires began engulfing his mind. He wanted Seto. Needed him. Needed to feel those cool claws against his skin. Needed to feel that contrasting body of flesh and scales pressed against his own. The desire becoming too much to resist any longer, and Yami knew he didn't want to resist.

The sounds Yami made drove Seto made with desire. His rationality vanished the second Yami kissed him. He could feel his restraint melting away and he no longer wanted to control it. All he knew was that he wanted Yami. Wanted to hold him, touch him, feel him, _love _him. Needed him. Needed to feel Yami's skin under his claws, the lithe body arching beneath his. Seto wanted him like a drowning man wanted air to breathe. And Yami wanted him in return. Seto used the last of his control to break the kiss, causing Yami to collapse into his arms.

"Yami…" Seto's deep voice soothed, he smirked at the look of bliss on his little rose's face. _His _rose. _His _Yami. It felt _wonderful _to finally be able to say it. "Don't tell me one little kiss blew you away?" Seto teased.

Yami glared at him for a moment then flashed a smirk so devious it didn't belong on Yami's face. Yami grabbed the collar of Seto's jacket and cloak, pulled him down, and kissed him with so much force that Seto's eyes flew open completely caught off guard by the dominance. When Yami released him, Seto stumbled a bit. Yami's smirk curled at the corners. "It'll take a lot more than that to wear me out," Yami boasted, deviously.

He grabbed Seto's collar again, only gentler and stood on his toes to reach Seto's ears. At first Seto though Yami was going to kiss him again, but instead Yami whispered in his ear "Let's go somewhere. Right now. Just you and me."

Seto swore his heart just exploded with joy. His mind formed a devious plan in a matter of seconds. His grin matched Yami, and his tail uncoiled from Yami's leg and slipped Yami's feet from under him. Before Yami could even gasp, Seto had him tightly wrapped in his arms, carrying him like a bride. One arm tightly wound around his knees to keep Yami from kicking, the other pinned Yami's upper arms to his chest and against Seto's torso. The coat cocooned around Yami's lithe frame, constricting his movements even more. Yami growled when he found himself immobile.

"Seto! Put me down! You know I hate being carried." Yami whined.

"And that is exactly why I do it. Now shut up and enjoy it," Seto teased, moving back towards the balcony doors.

Yami flushed and instantly started to panic. "W-Wait! What are you doing! You can't go back inside, everyone will see us?"

Seto laughed, unable to resist teasing him. "Well, my room _is _closer, but you're right that would require me to carry you all the way back through the ballroom and up the stairs to my room, and I can't guarantee no one will see us …" Seto playfully taunted, purposely avoiding Yami's horrified face. If Yami could die from embarrassment, he'd have done so at that moment.

"Of course," Seto added, playfully, spinning around and making Yami's body jerk. "I _could _always leap off this balcony and fly back to _your _room instead? If you prefer."

"Do it!" Yami cut him off, hastily.

With a grin, Seto leapt elegantly onto the balcony railing. Yami tightened his grip on Seto's clothes. Once both were certain they were secure, Seto jumped into the air and flapped his wings, taking Yami into the air and above and over the castle. Beneath them they could see the stain glass ceiling of the ballroom before Seto dived down and glided around the castle.

Down below, the staff looked confused when a shadow crossed over the ballroom before disappearing. Some of them recognized the dragon shape and started to smirk. When the rest turned to the balcony to see where their Master and his guest had disappeared to, all they found was Chazz leaning against the wall by the balcony with the giddiest smile on his face. Finally, he could no longer contain himself and burst out laughing. Even as everyone stared at him.

When he finally stopped, the boy whipped tears from his eyes and grinned. "Mission accomplished."

The second the words left his lips the entire room burst into cheers, excitement and laughter.

"_Now _we can celebrate!" Joey announced grabbing another goblet of wine.

* * *

Yami was bewildered when the balcony Seto landed on had heavy blue and silver curtains covering the glass doors, instead of deep crimson ones. Yami's suspicions were confirmed when Seto open the lock with his tail and brushed the curtains away. The room they entered contained a pale blue carpet, dark blue walls and an inviting four-poster canopy bed with an iron frame, surrounded by blue mesh veils, in the center of the room against the wall.

"Wait, I thought we were going to my room?" Yami asked, suddenly becoming very nervous, though he wasn't sure why.

Seto grinned. "Now why are you making such a fuss? Everyone knows I accompany you where ever you go. I doubt anyone would be surprised if they found you here, but to answer your question about halfway over the roof, I realized we'd probably have more privacy if we stayed here. It was just more convenient and enjoyable to fly."

Yami looked surprised and confused at once; Seto could only find the look cute. "Wasn't it you who suggested we go somewhere else, just you and me?" Seto grinned, but there was a flicker of doubt in his eyes when they met Yami's that made him uncertain. "I won't stop you if you're uncertain, but I do want us both to accept what is between us."

Seto's sapphire eyes locked with Yami's ruby red ones, then turned towards the bed; Yami's eyes followed him. Yami gulped. He wasn't naïve; he knew exactly what was going to happen. And he also understood what Seto meant: he was giving Yami the chance to decline now if he wanted to. It was a warning. It would have to be now or never, otherwise he knew the King could do little to control himself if Yami suddenly got cold feet.

But was he truly ready? All his fears and insecurities, every conversation he had with Tea and Mai, everything he'd been so afraid to voice to the Dragon King: came back to him like a thick wad of blackness, but the kind and understanding look in Seto's eyes quashed it. The King hadn't said a word. He was waiting. Waiting for conformation. It was clear from the lust and desire Yami recognized that Seto knew what he wanted, but it was restricted; he refused to let the damn break. That alone made Yami smile, a contempt trusting smile, but was he really ready to surrender that much control to another person? Did he trust Seto enough to give him everything? Even if he already knew the King would surrender it to him in a heartbeat?

Yami said nothing; instead he shifted his position so Seto was holding him in one arm. He wrapped his arms tightly around Seto's neck and kissed it, before whispering "Yes."

Seto was stunned by the kiss. His heart almost gave out when he heard Yami speak. He grinned like a Cheshire cat and he leapt towards the bed and pulled the curtains away with his tail, feeling Yami burying himself deeper into the croak of his neck. Gently, Seto deposited his beautiful rose on the bed, but Yami was reluctant to let go of the King's arms, determined to capture as much of the warmth and comfort Seto provided as possible.

Yami's heart thundered in his chest with such force he could feel it against his rib cage. His stomach suddenly felt like it was doing back flips and every inch of his body felt tender. The slightest touch sent shivers up his skin. When Seto finally let him go, his knees bunched at his side, and his hands fell level with his head when he was propped against the thick pillows.

Seto kneeled over him, slightly, and offered him a kind smile. "Don't think I don't know what you've given up for me, Yami." He met worried rose-red eyes and rubbed Yami's cheek delicately with his cool claws. "I know I've taken a lot from you, and what you've given up for me, to stay with me…and now I'm about to take something else from you, but I promise…" He kissed Yami's forehead and carefully maneuvered his body so he was kneeling above Yami's lithe frame: nervous red met kind and loving blue. "I will do everything within my power to make up for those losses."

"Seto…" Yami moaned, meeting him with half-lidded eyes. No words were spoken between them. They weren't needed.

Seto lay down next to him and pulled Yami into his arms. Seto's wings lay limply at his side, content with just holding the smaller man and twirling his blond locks between his gauntlet claws. Yami rolled onto his side, welcoming the embrace and traced his fingers over Seto's chest and wings. Seto purred at the contact. The sensitive touches sent a shrill of desire through his being. He felt his animal instincts awakening his inner Dragon. He pulled Yami closer and maneuvered them so the boy was lying directly beneath him and kissed him roughly, which Yami readily returned.

Their hands roamed and petted determined to gain purchase of the other. Yami's arms wrapped around Seto, pulling him closer and turning the kiss more passionate. They broke away only slightly then kissed again, Seto unwilling to let their time apart be any longer than it had to. Despite how gentle they actually were, Seto's kissed were by far the most intense Yami had ever experienced. He finally broke the kiss, himself, and lay limp, panting heavily. However, he didn't have much time to recover; Seto replaced Yami's lips by kissing his jaw line, his neck, his collar, and down to the patch of his upper chest exposed by his top. Seto stopped to admire the dangling ruby of the choker. He smirked then proceeded to kiss and nip every inch of skin available to him while his gauntlets ghosted up Yami's sides.

Yami hissed at the contact, feeling Seto's cold claws dance along the skin exposed by the ribbons of his top, and his fangs grazing his chest. His head turned to the side. His fingers gripped the bed sheets tightly. His breathing heavy and uneven and his heart thundered in his chest, lightning and pleasure flooded his veins. He didn't notice the King's gauntlet-covered claws undoing the ribbons of his torsolette, or Seto's tail untying the knots of his boots until the extra appendage discarded the unwanted torsolette to the side. Yami kicked off his boost and bunched his knees trapping Seto between them. Yami looked up and saw Seto's dragon eyes burning brightly with desire and want, but they hadn't lost a drop of their promise.

Without taking his eyes off Yami, Seto unhooked the chains on Yami's coat and pulled it out from under him causing Yami to lose his balance. He threw the coat to the floor, followed shortly by his own overcoat then moved towards Yami's vest. He paused and growled in frustration, unsure how to remove it. Sensing his annoyance, Yami pulled himself up with a smirk of his own, and started unhooking the chains of Seto's waist coat with one hand and undid the belt holding it together with the other. Taking advantage of Seto's surprise, Yami kneeled up and threw Seto's belt to the floor then started pushing Seto's waist coat off his shoulders until they came to the gauntlets. Seto pulled the coat off and threw it to the ground then pushed Yami back down beneath him. Yami leaned on his elbows and blushed watching Seto pull his own vest over his head and off his wings, revealing his bare upper body.

Yami had seen Seto topless before, but he'd never fully been able to appreciate the man's form. Now that he could, it made his face flush with awe and his body burn with desire. The silvery blue armored Seto's arms from his claws to his elbows where spikes pierced the skin. Scales danced up from elbow to the fin-like appendages growing off Seto's shoulder blades. His wings expanded to their full length glittering in the night ripped with leathery skin and muscles and bones. The lights dancing off them highlighted the caramel skin pulled taunt over the firm muscles of Seto's toned chest and stomach. Subconsciously, Yami's fingers graced the delicious caramel skin, licking his lips. He frowned when he came to the gauntlet's still covering Seto's hands. He smoothed his hands up and down Seto's arms, massaging his biceps, loving the feel of the smooth, cool scales beneath his warm fingers. Finally, his hands found the gauntlets and eased them off the King's claws. They fell to the floor with a loud mechanical clunk.

Seto blinked, surprised by the action. He stared at Yami with concerned blue eyes. "Are you sure, kitten?" he asked gravely, using Yami's oldest nickname. His claws clicked together, dangerously with a sharp screech that sounded like sharpening knives. "Even if I keep complete control, I could still hurt you…without even-"

"Don't," Yami cut him off sharply.

Seto blinked at the aggressiveness, but couldn't help but think Yami's scowl looked more like a pout. "I know what you're thinking, Seto Kaiba, and don't you dare doubt yourself now," Yami snapped, trying to think of some way to convince Seto that he wouldn't hurt his. His body was screaming to be touched and he had no idea how to stop it. "I want you to touch me!"

Seto froze and stared at the teen beneath him, stunned by what he just heard. Beneath him, Yami fought in vain to hide the red spreading across his face once he realized what he'd just said. "I-" he hesitated and looked down embarrassed. "I think that came out wrong."

To his surprise, Seto smirked and pounced on him, kissing him roughly, pinning him to the mattress. Yami forgot to breathe and found himself falling into a limp mess when the kiss broke away, desperately trying to regain his breath. Moans and gasps escaped him as Seto's claws spidered up his strapped covered sides. He suddenly undid the bows on Yami's gloves and slid them down his arms, being sure to touch ever inch of skin available to him. Yami shuddered feeling those cool claws dance up and down his heated skin. Each touch made him shiver in delight.

Seto smirked watching Yami writhe and moan at even the tiniest touches. Yami was a virgin after all, Seto wasn't surprised that he was extremely sensitive to even the lightest of touches and he enjoyed taking advantage of that. When the gloves came off Yami's arms, he wove his claws and Yami's fingers together and pinned them level with Yami's head and feathered chaste kisses on Yami's lips and collar. Yami arched and writhed under the touch. He tried to move, but Seto kept him pinned in place. His tail started to undo the buckle of Yami's belt. Finally, Seto released one of Yami's hands to gently stroke his clothed covered hips. He ghosted the back of his sharp claws over the junction of Yami's thighs and pelvis making him release a loud sound akin to a squeak.

Realizing what he just did, Yami's hand flew to cover his mouth, his eyes wide in mortified horror and he prayed Seto hadn't heard him. His hopes were dashed, however, when the Dragon King looked at him puzzled then snorted amused "Yami…did you just squeak."

Yami flushed deeply at the amused tone. "Maybe," he said with as much dignity as he could muster.

Seto chuckled "I had no idea you were so vocal, kitten," he teased, one of his hands sneaking behind Yami's back to undo the ribbons holding his vest together.

Yami flushed at the comment and looked away, biting his lip.

Seto smiled and gently nuzzled the boy's cheek. "I never said that was a bad thing. Now I'm curious to see what other sounds I can get you to make."

He gently undid the ties with his claws, and growled in frustration with each one. Yami chuckled and sat up to make it a little easier. Seto undid them one by one. "I think I might have to fire Malik. This thing has more pieces than mine does," Seto half growled, half teased his voice dripping with impatient want.

"Don't do that, he'll be heartbroken and then where will I get all these pretty outfits?" Yami mocked then half screamed half squeaked when his vest suddenly fell open revealing his chest. His face went straight to crimson and his eyes expanded in horror and he clutched the garment to his chest, mortified.

Seto burst out laughing at the site, and gently pulled Yami's wrists out of their death grip, his tail throwing the vest to the floor with the rest of their clothing. "I thought you weren't bashful about your body?" Seto teased, licking his lips as he scrutinized the firm, but lithe chest, toned with small muscles and lovely ivory-gold skin, not as dark as his and not too pale, but something delicious in between. "I can see why not," Seto's smirk curled at the corners, revealing his fangs. His eyes suddenly became insanely brighter, burning with hunger. "You're beautiful."

Yami blushed harder under Seto's intense eyes and worriedly laughed "Uh—thank you." He'd never been afraid of anyone seeing him naked before, but now it sent a shiver he couldn't explain through him.

Seto chuckled, his claws climbing up Yami's chest until they came to his choker. He had to admit, Yami was a delectable sight in nothing but gold and rubies. "I didn't know you're ears were pierced?" He tilted his head mischievously, brushing Yami's ears.

Yami blushed again. "Yeah, well, on one of our trips Atem got them done and convinced me and Yugi to do it too, they looked cool so we agreed. Hurt like hell. Mother wasn't exactly happy, though, so let's leave it at that."

Seto nodded and carefully removed the crown Yami wore and set it on the bedside table. Yami followed suit by removing the earrings and setting them down next to the crown. He went to remove the choker but Seto stopped him. "Leave it," he braced himself on one arm and traced his own choker with his claws. "Do you know what these symbolize?" Seto asked, mischievously.

Yami smirked, playfully; his eyes lighting up at the game. "No idea, but I have a feeling you're going to tell me."

Seto snorted, amused. "Clever boy. These were a birthday gift from my father. He said I was to keep one, and the other, I was to give to someone else. He said they were based off the legend that when Dragons mate they do so for life and only ever have one mate, and that mate is their opposite and their equal in every way." Seto winked at him. Yami blushed redder until he was certain it had to be hazardous to his health.

Seto tilted Yami's chin to the side and kissed his neck, surprising the smaller youth. He then proceeded to nip and kiss ever inch of Yami's neck and collar, not bothering with the choker. Yami bit his lip but couldn't stop the strangled moans from escaping. Seto smirked. "Now when did you become so quiet?" he teased. Yami growled when he felt his face heat up. "We'll have to change that." His fangs suddenly sank into the junction of Yami's neck and shoulders, sucking possessively.

Yami cried out and arched his back. Two strong arms caught him and continued to suck on that spot leaving a lover's mark. Seto licked his lips, capturing as much of Yami's taste as he could, before returning to Yami's naked chest and littered it with kisses and nips. His strong hands massaged the curves of Yami's lithe frame. Yami writhed and cried out under the touches. His arms wrapped around Seto's shoulders, pulling him closer while not disturbing his work. His trembling hands stroked Seto's back focusing on the junction between his wings, where he felt smooth scaled bumps along Seto's spine, leading him to conclude that Seto's spine was also scaled down to his tail. Seto purred and growled at the touch, causing his own touches to become fiercer and his kisses rougher, making Yami mewl in delight.

Seto's paws moved to Yami's back and started stroking his spine, making Yami arch into his touch. The stroking of his back and the kisses against his front, soon became too much and Yami released his hold on Seto, but the Dragon King was quick to catch him and laid him back down with himself on top of Yami. All the while his tail unhooked Yami's belt buckled and started squirming beneath the hems of Yami's pants.

Yami's breath caught in his throat. HE blushed at the action, and hissed when he felt Seto's tail stroking the sensitive junction of his thighs and pelvis, transforming his moan into a scream. Seto's claws stroked Yami's clothed hips, stroking his inner thighs and smoothing up his legs. Yami's hands flew to grab them, but Seto's tail ensnared them like a tentacle and pinned them above Yami's head. Yami blinked puzzled by his new position and tired to pull his wrists free.

"Ut-uh Kitten," Seto waved his finger teasingly, like a parent scolding a child. Yami glared at him, and hissed when Seto stroked his inner thighs up to his sensitive junction, and teased the bare skin of his hips.

"Hmmm," Seto rose an eyebrow teasingly. "You wouldn't happen to not be wearing anything underneath this would you, Yami?"

Yami's eyes doubled in size, his face going straight to purple. Seto's smile curled at the corners.

"H-Hell if I know," Yami stuttered incoherently, and looking anywhere but at Seto. "I got thrown in and out of that room so many times, I didn't know that they put on me until after it was done." Yami flushed, not noticing Seto's claws fiddling with his pants. Seto smirked and finally ripped Yami's pants off with one swipe. Yami screamed the cool air suddenly hitting his body.

When he realized he was now naked before Seto, his whole body blushed and he tried to bunch his knees, but Seto was quick to stop him and kneeled beneath his thighs.

"None of that, Kitten." Seto playfully scolded, releasing Yami's wrists and getting up from the bed. Yami looked confused and watched the king dart over his dressers, his claws ghosting over various jars and vials until he came to one crystal colored vial filled with an amber liquid. Seto smirked and returned to the bed. He set the vial down and moved to remove his own pants. They slide down his scales and off his legs with ease. He grabbed the vial with his tail and moved so he was lying over Yami with his lower half between his nervous lover's legs.

"I normally use this to keep my scales from drying out in the winter, but I just thought of a better use for it." Seto smiled undoing the cap with his tail allowing the contents to spill over it.

Yami gulped and lay still. Sensing his nervousness, Seto gently petted Yami's hair and kissed his forehead. "Don't be nervous, my precious rose," he soothed, lying flush against Yami's body, pinning his hands to the pillows with his claws again. Seto's mouth distracted Yami with chaste kisses on his neck and chest. "I won't hurt you." He trapped Yami's lips in a simple but loving kiss, relishing in the intoxicating taste of his lover, and willed his tail down past Yami's sides and towards his entrance, massaging the guarded ring of muscles protecting the most sensitive and vulnerable part of his body.

Yami's eyes shut tightly and his legs shifted at the unusual feeling, but Seto kissed him again, willing his lover to lay still. Hoping to distract him from his discomfort, Seto let go of Yami's hands and instead pinned his hips to the bed. Yami panted heavily with his arms lying at his sides. His legs shifted to remove the foreign invader. Seto began nipping his chest, leaving a trail of butterfly kisses on the boy's stomach, making Yami giggle at the treatment, but it didn't ease the pressure he felt flickering uncomfortably around his entrance. Then suddenly, Seto's tongue slipped into his naval the same time one of his cool claws wrapped around his burning shaft, which had been neglected until that point, and Seto's tail began to push inside of him. Yami screamed.

Yami tried to arch his back and buck his hips but Seto's claw kept his hip pinned in place, his mouth teasing his stomach and naval in a vain effort to calm the boy down. Yami's hands flew up to grab something, anything but all they could do was grab the comforter. They pulled tightly when Seto's cool claws clenched and unclenches his soft member, rendering him completely immobile. Try as Yami might to prevent the tail from moving, it did little good. Every time he tried to move, Seto massaged his length causing him to fall back and throw his head to the side—on the contrary, Seto's knees, even eased Yami's thighs further apart opening him up even more. He felt little pain, as Seto's tale was smooth and slicked with oil but the scaly object crashing against his sensitive insides felt foreign and in a way very gross. Yami's hands flew to cover his head and face, his upper body curling in on itself.

Seto did his best to distract Yami from the discomfort of his tail pushing, probing and curling deep inside his body in an effort to prepare him. He hated seeing Yami so torn between pleasure and discomfort, but long before they began he knew using his claws was out of the question. The sharp objects were fine for teasing but preparation with them would only hurt him and Seto _refused_ to let that happen. No one would ever hurt his precious red rose. Not ever again. Not even him.

"Relax, kitten," Seto tried to soothe but Yami refused to open his eyes. "The discomfort won't last long."

Yami shook his head and pulled himself tighter against his own body, desperate for anything to make the foreign object inside him go away. Try as he might he couldn't shake the fact that it was Seto's tail. Then he felt it moving, not just pushing. A loud gasp was torn from his throat causing him to unwind himself and roll over so he was lying flat against the bed. Seto smirked. _Found it._ He let go of Yami's member and pinned the boy's hips to the bed, using his free paw to pin Yami's hand in place. His actions proved correct when Yami jolted and cried out as his tail pushed hard against something incredibly sensitive deep inside Yami's body, and not once, but again and again, until the tip of the tail started wrapping around that spot and constricting and releasing it.

Yami's scream broke two octaves.

He collapsed onto the bed reduced to a mass of pleasure. That single action reduced his mind and body to a boneless mess. Seto smirked, keeping Yami pinned in place while his tail twisted and squirmed deeper and deeper into Yami's body, stretching the boy's entrance by curling and circling it while the tip of his tail clenched and unclenched his most sensitive nerve. All Yami could do was scream his pleasure, and cry out as he was stretched to his limits. His mind completely blown to bits, and his lower half burning with heat. Yami threw his head back, his pelvis jutting up on its own, despite Seto's claws, as the pleasure mounted more and more. It was becoming too much.

Yami tried in vain to move, but Seto held him firmly but gently down. He didn't get to move as the object inside him twisted and turned and thrust powerfully just once. White light exploded behind Yami's eyes and he felt his entire body implode with the loudest scream he could muster. As it ended, Yami collapsed limply. He hissed and squirmed, still feeling Seto's tail inside him, still twist and turn. He hissed loudly when he felt it begin to withdraw with a strange sound.

Seto swelled with pride at the sight of Yami's flushed, panting, boneless form, before reaching over to the night stand and grabbed a cloth to clean the mess Yami's climax made from the teen's stomach and his tail. Yami moaned at the ticklish treatment on his stomach. His chest rising and falling harshly as his lungs desperately tried to regain some much needed oxygen. His body felt heavy and spent, the foreign discomfort replaced by pure pleasure that made his entire body feel like liquid and he was unsure if his bones would ever solidify. He wasn't sure if he cared. He did, however, notice the lack warmth and attention paid to his unaccustomed body. He whimpered at the loss. He missed it. He wanted it back. The warmth. Seto's warmth. His touch. He wanted to hold it and never let it go.

"That was…that was…" he panted unable to think or speak clearly.

"That, my kitten," Seto smirked, dropping the cloth to the floor and pulling his precious rose into his arms. He laid Yami against the pillow with himself flush on top of him. "Was just the beginning."

Yami was positive his heart just exploded.

Seto grinned like a Cheshire cat. "Oh yes," Seto plucked the bottle off the bed and started pulling the blankets, sheets and comforters over the two of them so only their hips and torsos were exposed in case anyone made the mistake of coming in uninvited. "Now, I'm going to make you mine and no one else's."

Yami was convinced he now had a permanent blush. Before Yami could question Seto further, the Dragon King kissed him roughly, his claw releasing his hip and weaving with Yami's other hand pinning both his wrists level with his head. He'd keep the gentleness for the actual act, if he could control himself. With each passing second, Seto felt his control slipping more and more, his dragonic instincts becoming stronger and stronger, threatening to control him and take the beautiful being beneath him as his own once and for all. Seto pulled away, surprising Yami, and forced himself to calm down. God, it was becoming even more impossible to control himself around Yami, but he had to be careful. He wanted his wild rose to know pleasure and love, not just wild passion and uncontrolled ecstasy.

"Seto?" Yami asked concerned, like he'd done something wrong but was unsure what.

Seto ran a hand through his bangs and smiled. He kissed Yami's forehead. "I don't think I can control myself much longer, Yami…" He warned. "I don't want to hurt you if I suddenly break."

Yami's eyes widened, for a second he swore he felt his heart stop beating. This was it. It finally hit him with the force of a tidal wave. After this, he'd completely belong to Seto. Mind, body and soul. Anything before now was just preparation and the only thing that mattered was what happened in this single moment. There'd be no going back. Once they became one, he couldn't undo it. That realization exhilarated him and terrified him at the same time.

Curiously, Yami's eyes wondered down the rest of Seto's form, realizing this was the first time he'd actually _seen_ Seto naked. Like his arms, his feet to his knees were covered in armor like plates like dragon skin. But his knees to his thighs and the rest of his lower body were human. _Impressively _human. Yami flushed and gulped, unable to remove himself from the site of his Dragon King's glorious naked form, until he felt cool claws dancing under his chin forcing him to look up. His blush darkened when he came to face to face with Seto's boastful smirk. "Like what you see, kitten?"

Yami's blush darkened but he said nothing, his eyes unyielding. "Perhaps," Yami grinned in a way Seto found irresistible rather than intimidating, his legs spread nicely and submissively.

"Good," Seto smirked, pinning Yami to the bed again. Yami fell back with a loud 'oaf', his wrists pinned to the bed by Seto's claws. Seto smirked at him; his tail uncorked the bottle from earlier and poured the rest of its contents on his length making him hiss with delight and anticipation. His gaze never left Yami's. His eyes became bright with animalistic desire.

Yami started shaking when he felt a blunt pressure touch his guarded ring, sending all his senses on high alert. "S-Seto," He whimpered nervously, just as a blunt pressure came into contact with his sensitive entrance. His lower body arched—whether to capture that pressure himself or to avoid it, he wasn't sure—but Seto kept him pinned firmly in place, staring at him with warm eyes.

"Don't worry, Kitten," Seto kissed his forehead. "I'll be gentle."

Yami gulped and closed his eyes then waited.

"AHHHHHHHH!" A cry of raw pain tore itself violently from Yami's throat. Yami threw his head back and screamed as something large and thick slowly thrust into his body, stretching him painfully beyond the limits of his body to accommodate the Dragon's larger size. Pain coursed through his veins as he was completely filled, making him shudder violently. His eyes sealed shut as he screamed against the pain. Tears glittered like rhinestones on his thick lashes. His hands fought against the manacles of Seto's claws, seeking something to grab and hold onto but Seto kept him firmly pinned in place.

This was different from Seto's tail. His member was thicker, fuller, and hotter. So hot it made his insides blaze, Yami didn't think he could stand the burning heat much longer. It made him throb and sting and pant and shudder. Seto was completely sheathed inside the most sensitive part of his body. It finally hit him that this was it. Seto was truly inside him, filling him, mating him, making love to him. The sensation sent a thrill of raw pain and pure pleasure through him, but he couldn't tell which was which. He released a loud sob, and titled his head to the side.

He struggled fiercely against his bonds, panting and something, anything, to latch onto. Seto released one of his wrists to pin his hip in place and Yami instantly pulled himself up and latched onto Seto's chest and buried his face in the man's collar. Seto's other hand wrapped around Yami's waist allowing the teen's now free hand to fall limply at his side. He hissed and panted as the action made his pain worse, but he desperately needed the comfort.

A loud hiss erupted from deep in Seto's throat when he felt the tight, unbearable heat of his desert rose surrounding him. His wings flexed to their full length and fluttered lightly in their master's delight. His tail twitched at his side, eager to join in the play. He groaned at the sensation, relief filling his body once the impossibly tight channel consumed him. Being insides Yami was like nirvana. His instincts blazed to life, shattering any control he might have had, all but commanding him to throw caution to the wind and claim the delightful treasure beneath him as his own.

However, Yami's heart wrenching screams were enough to shake Seto free from those senses and hold relentlessly onto the last sliver of control he still had, even as his dragonic instincts fought for control of his body's animalistic desires. He wrapped his arms around Yami's waist, letting the boy pull him closer and gently stroked Yami's back with his claws. He felt Yami shudder at the touch and dig deeper into the crook of his neck. Whether from pain or pleasure Seto didn't know. Again he forced his instincts into submission. He didn't want Yami to know pain and lust. He wanted him to know pleasure…and love.

"Yami, please." A chaste kiss was placed on Yami's lips, the backs of gentle claws rubbed circles around his hips and up his sides, coaxing him to relax. "Don't struggle. I don't want to hurt you more than I have to. Just bare with me. It'll get better soon. I promise." Seto kissed Yami's forehead and tried to sooth him by kissing his neck and face.

The taste of Yami's skin made his body shake, and he prayed his precious rose was ready—already he could feel the last sliver of his iron control slipping away and his dragonic instincts taking over.

Yami held onto Seto tightly, panting against the pain, extremely grateful Seto had held still, but he could tell by the restlessness in the his eyes and the shuddering of Seto's body, he wouldn't be able to hold himself back much longer. Already his tail and wings flicked with desire and his eyes burned with uncontainable yearning. Yearning for _him_. The realization sent a shiver of delight and pride through him, and he gave a small smirk, and fell back against the pillows just as Seto pinned him roughly to the bed, one hand on his hip, the other on his shoulder, his tail pinning his opposite wrist level with his head.

Yami opened his mouth to protest the position, but instead released a surprised and pleasured gasp when he felt the foreign invader inside him shift. Then screamed when he was suddenly thrust into once again. The action caused his entire body to lurch forward, his arms pinned by Seto's hand and tail, his hips held firmly in place, his free hand gripping the comforter tightly until he heard the seams rip. He suddenly realized Seto had done this on purpose to keep him still. He panted loudly, unable to comprehend the sudden rush that filled him. He barely felt it when Seto pulled out, again, a devious smirk curling across the man's face. Yami used his free hand to stubbornly direct Seto's face towards his and kissed the other's lips, gentle and chaste, letting his desire be known as well as his own trepidation, and trust, as well. Seto returned the kiss, gently pushing against Yami so their bodies were flush against each other, causing his hips to move.

Yami hissed at the contact of their hips, chest, torso and groins pressing together. He hissed again feeling Seto's hips begin to move, slowly. His member gently massaging his tender insides, making him pant, and gasp and moan at the foreign but pleasant feelings suddenly electrifying his senses to life. Seto smirked and rolled his hips, continuing the same action, delighting in the sight of Yami writhing under the simplest of moments, and relishing in the sweet sounds he was making. Every touch, made the teen arch and press closer against him, every movement of Seto's hips and member left him screaming and writhing for more. Pants exploded from Yami's mouth, his eyes became half-lidded and dreamy under the torturous delight. He barely felt it when he felt Seto pull his hips back until he felt the other abandoning him. He whimpered loudly at the loss and the feel of completion and wholeness it brought.

Yami _did_, however, feel it when Seto thrust back in, deeper and harsher than before hitting something that made Yami's entire body spasm. His back formed a permeate arch and his mouth opened wide as a scream of pleasure and pain erupted from his mouth. Pleasure quickly overcame the pain as Seto arched forwards and retreated from inside him, never letting the short moments when they were apart increase.

"Seto!" A combination of a moan and a scream burst free from Yami's throat as the movement continued. His hips thrusting against Seto's claws every time he felt Seto pull out, determined to recapture the warmth. Tears of bliss and delight formed in his eyes like glittering diamonds.

"AH!" Yami released his loudest scream yet as something familiar was finally struck making him go blind in his bliss. At the exact same time, Seto's tail left his wrist to wrap around his neglected member, squeezing it tightly in time with Seto's rhythm. Yami's hands shot forward, latching tightly onto Seto's shoulders, pulling the other tighter against him even as Seto pinned him down again with his body, and began moving faster and stronger than before. The action making Yami scream his pleasure louder and louder every time Seto moved.

The brunet held painfully tight on Yami's hips, his claws almost pricking the tender flesh, but Yami only shuddered at the action. The teen's moans of his name and screams of pleasure were music to Seto's ears. Each time he removed himself, a quick snap of his hips put him deeper inside his rose, making Yami arch further against him and scream louder. God his precious rose was so vocal, so sensitive.

Yami's insides clenching and unclenching around him drove Seto wild. Any and all caution he felt earlier vanished allowing his dragonic instincts to take control. Feeling Yami arch and writhe against him fueled him to drive deeper and deeper into the lithe body determined to give him as much pleasure as he could. Before long they simply moved against each other harshly with no set rhythm, simply determined to recapture the warmth the other provided. Each time, Seto felt Yami clenched and unclench around him, perfectly massaging him, like the smaller had been created solely for him, a lock to his key. His wings roared loudly at his sides summoning gusts of air around him, and allowing him to drive deeper into Yami, until he was certain the boy could feel pleasure on his stomach.

With every scream of his name, Seto's tail squeezed Yami's weeping member tighter, making him writhe ever more. Yami continued to scream as pleasure coursed through his entire body. He screamed until he felt horse, and even then, he continued to push himself against Seto. His eyes flew open and he pulled Seto close to him, kissing him. Their kiss as wild as their love making.

Finally, Seto's own pleasure exploded driving into Yami the furthest he had. With a roar of satisfaction he released his essence claiming Yami's virtue for himself. The action caused Yami to release his loudest moan and scream combination of the night. The feel of Seto's tight tail coiling around his member combined with his essences coating Yami's yearning core with warmth proved too much for the younger teen and he released his own pent up passion all over their stomachs before collapsing limply beneath his dragon king. He hissed a loud 'oaf' of discomfort when Seto pulled out of him and collapsed on top of him.

"Sorry," Seto apologized rolling off Yami and onto his side, his tail pulling the comforter up to their chests; and twirled the golden locks of Yami's bangs between his claws. Yami turned to his side and tried to catch his breath, content just having Seto next to him for the moment.

"You are so beautiful," Seto complimented, kissing Yami chastely on the lips and forehead. "And I'm so happy that you're mine."

Yami smirked at that comment. His nerves were still burning with energy, and though he was tired, he could feel his strength returning, and the site of his precious king so close to him, so beautifully relaxed and all his, made him shiver with possessiveness.

"And you're mine, right?" Yami asked with a cute tilt of his head, like a kitten scrutinizing a mouse.

"Of course," Seto smiled, assuringly.

"In that case." The impish grin Yami suddenly sported was the only warning Seto got before he was suddenly pounced on by the smaller teen and thrown on to his back, his heavy wings pinioned uselessly beneath him and his arms stretched like a crucifix beneath his smirking lover.

"My turn." Yami smirked, fishing behind him for the bottle Seto had from earlier. He paused when he felt something tap his shoulder and tuned to see Seto's tail holding the crystal vial out to him.

He took the bottle subconsciously and turned to Seto with a blink, only to find the man bracing himself on his elbows. "If you're certain, kitten," he stroked Yami's bangs, tucking the gold strands behind his ear. "Then I'm yours, I'd never deny you anything."

He trapped Yami in a surprised kiss, almost making him drop the bottle and pulled him down so he was on top of Seto, growling as their flesh connected once again. Yami returned the kiss with just as much possessiveness and dominance as Seto had not long ago, before carefully pulling away and opened the bottle.

He dumped the messy contents onto his fingers, hesitantly. Though he refused to show it, Yami was extremely nervous, and knew he had to be careful. Seto has done his best to be gentle with him his first time, even though he knew Seto had had other lovers, he was determined to show his lover, the same affection. He steadied himself on one hand, and lowered the other towards his lover's entrance mimicking the actions Seto's tail had done to him with his fingers.

Seto moaned contently at the contact but made no move to assist Yami, determined to give his lover the same level of trust Yami's shown him. He felt one of Yami's fingers slip inside him and growled at the cool contact against his scolding insides. How long had it been since he'd done anything like this again? He couldn't remember. He'd always been the dominant in any and all of his relationships, yet he'd willingly surrendered control to his desert rose without any hesitation. Had he truly come to trust the fiery youth that much in such a short time? It seemed too magnificent to believe.

His mulling was interrupted when he felt Yami's second finger circling his entrance along with its twin and probing deeper into him and he bunched his legs and spread his thighs a little wider, trapping Yami between them. When he felt Yami pull away he growled, annoyed, which caused Yami to shrink, fearing he did something wrong.

Seto quickly squashed those fears by pulling him into a deep kiss, which Yami quickly took advantage of by curling his fingers in uneven circles around Seto's hips and thighs, causing him to pull away and latch onto Yami's shoulders. His wings fluttered aimlessly behind him and his tail thrashed about in his pleasure.

Yami smirked and continued to rub his hand up and down Seto's torso and stomach with fanned fingers while his other hand took the bottle again, and proceeded to coat his own hardening member. Yami gasped and halted his actions feeling the cool liquid against his heated skin. He bit his lip, but refused to back down. He continued to massages Seto's skin, stroking his wings gently. He moved to position himself, Seto's scaled legs keeping his hips firmly trapped in place.

Beneath him Seto pulled away to claw at the comforter, feeling the delicious touches against his sensitive skin. It took all his will power not to roll them over and take his lover all over again, but already he could feel Yami trying nervously to position himself and blushed when he missed the first few time. Seto chuckled at the sight, recalling his own first time and carefully moved give him a comforting kiss.

Yami deepened the kiss grateful for the comfort and the confidence, and allowed Seto's hands to guide him before thrusting completely inside his Dragon King with a snap of his hips.

Seto roared in delight, his tail and wings thrashing wildly, and he grabbed Yami's arms to keep himself steady. His eyes became bright and wild with uncontrolled desire. Yami's own screams of delight mixed in with that roar once he felt the overwhelming sensation of another's warmth surrounding him, massaging him in ways that felt so deliciously tight, it left him shaking and unable to move. He felt Seto's tail slither up his thigh and wrap around his waist. Yami looked down at the hissing, wild king.

"Are you alright?" Yami asked panting through his own pleasure, with concerned eyes.

"I'm wonderful!" Seto spoke whimsically, yanking on Yami's arms so he could whisper in his ear. "You have no idea how incredible you feel, Yami. No idea."

Yami blushed beat red at the comment, especially considering he had no idea what he was doing other than mimicking what Seto did to him. Nonetheless, a swirl of pride and happiness fluttered through him. He confidently, but carefully rolled his hips, delighting when he heard Seto hiss again and tighten his grip on Yami's arm. Again, Yami rolled his hips while forcing Seto to lay flat on the bed. His fingers danced up the man's chest, while he continued to slowly and tantalizingly remain still, even as his own body screamed at him to move.

Seto growled at the tantalizing torture his lover was succumbing him too. Even as he felt Yami's teasing fingers on his sensitive skin, wings and scales, he growled at Yami, wanting him to move. But the teen stayed still, content with just enjoying Seto's warmth. His dragonic instincts kicking in once again, Seto thrust his hips forward, causing Yami to gasp loudly in pure shock at his actions. Smirking, Seto did it again, this time causing Yami to collapses against him with a throaty scream. Yami sat up with a growl and a glare, but Seto only smirked and rolled his hips again, hoping Yami would get the message.

Yami smirked at him and carefully started to pull out before experimentally thrusting back in. Seto moaned at the sensation, keeping his claws firmly on Yami's hips. After a few clumsy and inexperienced thrusts, which left Yami a blushing mess, the teen quickly learned how to steady himself and started thrusting harder into his lover, making Seto growl in sheer delight. A loud roar burst from him when he felt Yami's thrusts increase their velocity, and again he was left stunned by the skill is new lover possessed. If Seto hadn't known any better he would've questioned Yami's virtue after all, but having personally confirmed that fact not a few moments ago himself, he deeply began to wonder where on earth his precious rose learned such tricks.

Finally, Seto joined in the play and began thrusting his hips back against Yami's making the younger scream all over again. Their hands moved to grab and possess, their rhythm frantic but unhurried, simply enjoying the feel of their innocent love making until finally, they could no longer hold themselves back and once again claimed the other as their own.

Seto rolled them over and let himself slip out of his limp lover before leaning over to grab the towel from before and began cleaning them off. Yami giggled when Seto wiped off his stomach, before pulling himself into a sitting position with a seductive leer in his eyes, and curled his fingers motioning for Seto to come closer. Seto smirked and returned the dirty object to the floor, before pinning Yami against the headboard with his arms on either side of the youth's head.

"You're going to be extremely sore, kitten," Seto grinned the warning. "You might not know it since this is your first time, but I do. I can tell you right now, after all this and with your slender figure and lithe frame, you'll be lucky if you can _move _come noon."

"I don't care" Yami said grabbing Seto's shoulders and kissed him boldly. "Don't hold back."

That was all Seto needed before he roughly ripped Yami into his arms and kissed him harshly. "You are insatiable, aren't you?" Seto chuckled. They fell back against the bed with Yami on top of Seto, but Seto rolled them over still kissing him, even though they broke the kiss to laugh.

They paused for a moment to gaze into the others eyes: fiery and vibrant ruby met bold and wild sapphire, both glistening with happiness like they'd never known before. Slowly, they moved closer, their lips molding against the other's like it was the most natural thing in the world. They poured all their emotions into that single kiss, their hands again weaving into the others while Yami's arm wrapped around Seto's shoulder, and Seto's free arm wrapped around Yami's waist.

Then Yami broke the kiss to gasp, but his throat chocked on air. He couldn't move. Couldn't think. Couldn't _breathe. _Seto was already inside him, pounding into his most sensitive spots with such force all Yami could feel was immense pain and overwhelming pleasure, and this time the combination for the two left him screeching and writhing for more and more, until he was thrashing in sheer delight, beneath Seto's body.

Seto's eyes were suddenly white with lust and passion as he continued to dive into his smaller lover over and over again. Each time Yami thrashed or writhed against him, it fueled him to drive deeper and deeper into him. The site of his lover in such a pleasure wracked state sent a shrill of possessive pride through him, making his thrusts even wilder.

"Seto!" Yami screamed, arching against Seto. The dragon king flashed a fanged smile realizing he'd found the one spot that would have Yami begging him for more and to never stop. With a swift roll of his hips, he maneuvered himself, allowing him to thrust into that same location over and over again but at different angles.

Yami's eyes flew open; a white lighting of pleasure almost blinded him and rendered him mute, even as his mouth opened in voiceless screams. Overwhelming pleasure surged through his entire body, so wonderful it felt almost painful. His body soon tightened in its delight and he closed his eyes trying desperately to fight it. He didn't want this to end, he didn't want completion just yet; he wanted to remain like this with Seto forever, beneath that beautiful starlit sky.

Seto wouldn't have it and continued to drive deeper and deeper into Yami, determined to solidify their union once more. "SETO!" He was rewarded when the loudest of Yami's pleasured filled screams as the young man arched and finally surrendered, allowing his passion the joy of release. He moaned from the pain of it, and continued to moan as Seto continued to pound into him until finally the tightening of Yami's smoldering walls against him became too much and with another roar of completion, Seto released his load deep into Yami's sweet form.

They collapsed against one another, still wrapped in the other's arms. Seto's tail subconsciously reclaimed the cloth and snaked its way between them, removing the mess their love making had created, leaving free to bask in the afterglow without any worries. Their eyes were bright and half-lidded with love and pleasure, their bodies limp and content.

"My mischievous little imp," Seto teased, wrapping his tail around Yami's waist and stroking Yami's side with his wing. "I hope you don't plan on doing that again, you've completely drained me."

Yami chuckled hoarsely, his voice rough from so much pleasure. "No, I can't go again, as much as I'd like to," Yami admitted with a cute blush, and pulled the comforter to him, hissing when he moved his lower back. "I can barely move as it is,"

Seto smiled and pulled Yami against his chest, then pulled the comforter up to his shoulders, covering them both in the thick materials. "You should sleep then, Kitten," He stroked one of Yami's bangs out of his face, watching as Yami yawned cutely and snuggled against the pillows. "I doubt either of us will be moving any time soon."

Yami chuckled and rolled over in Seto's arms. His attention turned to the starlit sky outside the glass of Seto's balcony wall. His eyes faintly wandered to the music box in the corner. If anyone told him, the first time he saw that object he'd be here now asleep in the Dragon King's arms, after a night of love-making no less, he'd have been infuriated by the very idea.

"So much has changed," he mused to himself, snuggling deeper into Seto's warmth. A small frown marred his face. He'd chosen to stay, but he knew that decision wasn't an easy one, nor was it over. There was still much he had to do, and a lot he had to consider before he could fully comprehend what it was he'd decided, but he knew he couldn't regret his decision. He turned around and felt his heart strings tug at the sight of the Dragon King's peacefully sleeping face. Oh yes, he would never regret this decision.

Content, he yawned and finally gave into his exhausted body's demands and fell asleep.

Next to him, Seto peeked an eye open, and smiled at the peaceful site of his lover at sleep. Gently, so not to wake him, he petted Yami's hair and kisses his forehead before whispering "I love you. I love you so much. I never thought I could, but I do. I don't know how or why, but everything about you…everything that you are…makes me feel whole again." Seto spoke his own cherished secret then followed his slumbering lover's example, not seeing Yami smile in his sleep.

However, while the two lovers slept, peacefully content in the aftermath of their lovemaking and the rest of the castle rejoiced, a furious cry of pure and absolute rage and disgust echoed from the dark depths of the forest.

* * *

(the Queen of Plot Twists sits longway son her thrown in a long black dress and cape with her legs over the side of the throne, sipping a glass of whine with a Kuriboh in her lap, another on her feet and three more at her sides-passed out and taking a well deserved rest for helping bang out this bad boy of a chapter...no pun intended) Long Live the Queen...

NOW WORHSIP ME! AND THE UNBRIDALED AWESOMENESS THAT IS THIS CHAPTER AND MY FIRST PRIDESHIPPING LEMON! MWHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA!

Isn't a virgin Yami the cutest thing in the world? XD oh and a quick note since i KNOW someone is gonna ask me about this, Seto's claws are like cat claws: their curved and smooth and while the fronts and VERY sharp and the points are dangerous the backs and the shape are round and smooth so they won't hurt anyone, hence why Seto uses them for teasing but not preperation...I work with Cat's at the animal shelter so i know all about them...anyway just wanted to let everyone know.

And fair warning my lovelies, this is NOT yet...in fact...this is JUST the beginning :evil smrik:

Kuri holds up a sign: It is never a good thing when Mommy is sane.


	27. Chapter 26: The Breaking

I FINALLY UPDATED SOMETHING BEFORE DECEMBER 8th! VICTORY! I actually had this chapter done a week before thanksgiving, but my beta was suer busy and hadn't returned my e-mails and everyone else was busy but someone finally offered to beta it for me and i finally got it updated! THANK YOUG GOD!

With that in mind: **Dedication: **This chapter is dedicated to my loyal fan KedakiOhkami, who not only beted this chapter for me with her super awesome grammar-nazi skills but did so TWICE in once DAY! YOU ROCK GIRL! THANK YOUG SO MUCH!

Also special thanks and dedications to all of my loyal fans for helping me with the stress of school, my laptop, finals and everything that has kept me away from my beloved writing. It means so much to me that you've all been so kind. Finally your patience has paid off ^-^

Diclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, the bath scene was inspired by the prideshipping doujinshi Honey.

As always read, review, comment, critique ask questions, and I know I'd deserve it for the end of this chapter, but no death threats please...that's the last thing i need during finals week

* * *

Chapter 26: The Breaking

Scorched needles, scarps of wood blackened by rage, and bits of ash and charcoal scattered across the burnt snow where the proud pine tree once stood. Specks of blood and splinters dropped from the Sorcerer's scraped and roughened fingertips like someone had scattered rubies. His nails were shredded and his cuticles were split from clawing at the bark in a fit of rage. His fury had reduced the aged pine to a pile of ashes.

All while the raven remained still on its perch in the snow completely unfazed by his master's wrath.

"Damn." The Sorcerer's growl was dangerous low. "Damn." It increased in volume. "DAMN!" he screamed and spun around delivering a powerful blow to the young sapling unfortunate enough to be in the path of his wrath. It made no effort to protests the Sorcerer's rage. Blinded by his rage, all he could see were the images his spy had shown. Images of that disgustingly repulsive beast, not even a beast but a half-beast, dancing with the Gypsy. _His _gypsy. The gypsy _he _was supposed to. "It's not fair," he complained clenching his fists causing his fingers to scream in pain but he was numb to all but his rage.

He could forgive the child for that, surely the Dragon was becoming desperate and would use any kindness to trick the youth into saying the words needed to break his curse and deny the Sorcerer his greatest triumph. He could forgive the youth for his naivety and his defenselessness. Ignored the stigma of being a monster's companion. He could have! He was merciful. But no, that could never be! Not after this…this...treachery didn't describe it, indecency was too lineate…atrocity wasn't even right!

"It's not fair! It's not fair! IT'S NOT FAIR!" His wrath erupted, sending the curling shadows at his feet exploding in all directions, shattering and piercing whatever they came in contact with, until the clearing was a hollow circle of scorched earth. "He's dirty! That damned gypsy whore! Damn him for giving away his virtue, and damn me for thinking any one of their kind was redeemable! Damn! Damn! Damn!" He screamed and stomped his foot and tore at his hair and clothes until he panted like a beast after a hunt. But, no matter how loud he screamed, or how much he destroyed, it could never destroy that last scene from his mind: that beautiful gypsy, who should've been _his_ consort and ruling at _his_ side, wantonly giving his virtue to that monstrous dragon and worse _enjoying_ it! Again he wanted to scream, but someone else beat him to it.

"Yug-" the weak call was followed by a loud stumble against the carpet of snow.

Bewildered, the Sorcerer quickly shielded himself among the trees careful not to let a spot of his red clothing betray his location. He watched a young man rise stumbling from the muddy earth, and choke loudly on air. Like a shadow, the Sorcerer swooped closer and gasped. It was easy to miss from a distance but beneath the thick winter clock and the leaves and mud matting the taller, clearly older, youth was an exact splitting image of his gypsy.

"Atem, stop this!" A girl bulldozed through the woods and threw herself to the boy's side. The action caused her heavy blue cloak to fall open revealing a shower of pale blond hair, shiny even in the shadows of the winter forest.

The boy immediately protested her assistance, but he was only able to remain standing by leaning against her shorter from.

"That's enough!" A third figure, a tall man draped in nothing but royal purple, emerged from the shadows and yanked the boy from the girl, the action sent him stumbling into the man's arms. "You're sick as a dog! We have to get you home!"

"No!" the man tried to scream, but instead choked on his own words and coughed in a way that made even the Sorcerer's skin crawl.

"I…have…to find…Yugi," he wheezed, shoving the older man and the girl off of him with surprising strength and half stumbled in his haste. He didn't get far before exhaustion and the brutal cold forced him to his knees. Immediately, the girl and man were at his side helping him to his feet. The man offered him water, the girl her cloak, but he denied them both.

"I have to find them! I have to find Yugi then we can save Yami. I have to get them back!" He spoke passionately, but it was laced with the madness of grief. Again he shoved his companions away but instead his hands clenched his head and formed fists against his tresses. "I have to protect them! I'm their big brother, I'm supposed to take care of them. I promised I would! I promised them! Mama and Papa and Grandpa, I promised and look what I've done! Yugi's probably dead and I can't even think of what Yami's going through. Damn myself to hell and back! What have I done?" He screamed and tore at his hands and clothes with the rage and madness that only grief could drive a sane man to. He slammed his fists against the ground and punched at anything he could until the man and girl grabbed his hands and he finally collapsed under the weight of his own anguish and fell into a mess of gasps and tears.

"Calm down, Atem. We _will _find them! None of this is your fault, but first you must regain your health. You can't save anyone like this. I'll search for Yugi, I swear on my life I won't return until I've found him."

Begrudgement was vivid on the boy's face, but judging by his shaking form, unable to even stand without help, the youth reluctantly agreed and allowed the girl to take him.

"Get him back to the village, Mana!" the man ordered tightening his cloak and turning to leave.

"Wait, Mahado-" she called but he met her worry with an assuring smile.

"I'm going to find Yugi. I'll be alright." Reluctantly, the girl nodded and proceeded to carry her burden back to the safety of his home to nurse his own deteriorating health.

A triumphant smile split the Sorcerer's face. "Perhaps, there is some hope left after all," he said cunningly and called his pet. The bird abandoned its statue state and flew to its master's wrist. "Tell me, pet is he the one? The one our little gypsy spoke off?"

The bird said nothing. A flash of its eyes and the Sorcerer had his answer. "And this 'Yugi' they search for, is he the other?" Again the bird was like a prop, only its glowing eyes gave an indication that it was alive. The Sorcerer snickered to conceal his glee, not wishing to betray his location to the still wandering mage.

"Oh, this is fantastic!" the Sorcerer spun in delight. "Haha! Well, Kaiba, it seems that the Fates favour me after all." A grin curled wickedly on his face and he plucked a feather from his pet's wing. The bird didn't flinch and remained on its perch. Moving a bloody finger over the feather, the Sorcerer began to draw lines over it, whispering a dark chant forbidden to be spoken. Once he finished his curse, he called his pet and without being asked the bird opened its beak and snapped it shut the second the feather was in place.

"Follow them, when you've reached the home, drop the feather on the boy's bed. Go!"

The bird was off without another word, vanishing in the darkness while its Master laughed at his fortune. "Oh don't worry, lad. You shall see your little brother again soon. And just in case, my madness will leave you bedridden until he returns to your side!" He cackled like a flock of crows taking to wing and threw his bloody cloak over his shoulder. With a small chant to heal his hands, he was off to find the one that would have the gypsy fleeing.

"Now then, time to find our little friend."

* * *

Yami couldn't move. Every time he sought to lift an arm, or twitch a toe, his body betrayed him. His bones liquefied the moment he awakened with no promise of ever solidifying again. He wasn't sure he cared. His body sank into the soft pillows. The silky sheets felt wonderful against his naked skin. When he spied the pale blue canopy overhead, he was convinced he'd died and gone to paradise. He closed his eyes and snuggled into the warmth, not wanting to lose the serenity just yet.

His back hit something firm and he felt a cold skin-like material, but smoother and more rubbery, brushing against the bare skin of his shoulders. His eyes squinted and opened slightly. Grateful for the curtains blocking out the sunlight, Yami looked around and found himself on his stomach, his head on a pillow and his arms sandwiched between himself and the firm chest of one Seto Kaiba, who was holding Yami against his chest. Seto's arms wrapped tightly around his waist, the rough scales scratched his hips through the silky sheets and his tail was peacefully wrapped around Yami's thigh. The position made Yami's entire body blush strawberry pink. He tried to roll over but was trapped by the vice-grip on his hips. The movement caused Seto's tail to tighten its grip on Yami's thigh, and Yami swore he heard Seto chuckle in his sleep.

"Oh, you have to be kidding me?" Yami growled from embarrassment. He pushed against Seto's chest, trying to free himself, but the action only caused Seto to pull him closer, thus trapping Yami between the dragon's arms and his chest. Yami growled again in annoyance.

"You better be doing this in your sleep," he warned. Seeing that he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, Yami decided to marvel in the sight of the sleeping Dragon King that was all his: the smooth skin of his torso, the rising and falling of his muscled chest, the peaceful serene on his sleeping face, no one else could ever see Seto like this, and Yami knew it. No one but him.

"I can't believe that makes me happy." Yami grinned to himself, before leaning over to sketch abstract images with his finger on Seto's chest, then leaned up and kissed the man's collar.

Suddenly, Seto kissed him hard. His claws moved from Yami's hips to his shoulders and he rolled them over so Yami was pinned beneath him, still kissing. Using Yami's surprise to his advantage, Seto deepened the kiss, coaxing Yami to return it. Willingly surrendering to his own seduction, Yami wrapped his arms around Seto's neck and returned the kiss. When they could no longer breathe, Seto broke the kiss, smirking at his lover's flushed, panting state.

"And here I thought you'd be worn out?" he teased, resting his chin in his palm, and twirling Yami's locks between his claws. He flashed a teasing smile at the annoyed pout on his lover's face. "Then again," he paused in twirling the clocks and flashed a devilish grin. "You never had trouble keeping up with my stamina."

Yami snorted but smiled. "Don't flatter yourself. I am worn out, I just like kissing you."

Seto's response was a kiss on the forehead. "I would hope so, I enjoy your kisses."

They both giggled and lay there feeling content and relaxed. Seto stroked Yami's sides and petted his hair while Yami hummed contently and stroked the wings that draped over his sheet-covered, lower half. When the wings moved away and the petting stopped, Yami looked over his shoulder and whined when he saw Seto getting up and fishing a heavy bathrobe off the floor.

"Where are you going?" Yami demanded with a pout.

Seto chuckled. "The kitchen. I want to at least eat before I take you again. No more love-making on an empty stomach."

Yami was about to protest, until he felt his stomach churn at the thought of replenishment. "Fine, but I'm coming too." The boy rolled onto his knees, but Seto stopped him.

"Oh trust me, you're not going anywhere. You stay in bed and I'll be right back."

Yami growled at that. "I am not going to sit around and do-" He tried to push himself on to his knees but was silenced by a searing pain running up through spine and to every inch of his lower-half forcing him to plop back onto his stomach with his face smothered in a pillow. He hissed and flushed furiously with an equal growl when he heard Seto snickering.

"I told you," Seto teased unfazed by the fury on Yami's face, and pulled the comforter up to Yami's shoulders. "You're not going _anywhere_."

With as much dignity as he could muster, Yami rolled onto his side, fighting a flinch and pulled the comforter up to his chin. "Fine, you win." He yawned and closed his eyes. He felt a soft kiss on his cheek, and the swoop of Seto's wings when he walked away, promising to be right back.

* * *

"Here." Duke slammed a tall glass of thick, burnt orange liquid in front of a half-passed out Bakura. "That'll cure anything you got, just _don't _ask what's in it," the botanist half-pleaded, half-grimaced. He closed his eyes and looked like he was about to take a breath before downing a glass himself in only a few gulps. He shuddered and the glass dropped from his hand and clattered when it hit the floor. He barely had time to swallow before his body faded to that of a transparent spectre once again.

Bakura raised a disheveled head of wild and sleep-tossed hair, his black horns barely peeking out among the mess. His red-rimmed eyes peeked over his folded arms from his position on the stool at the middle table. He'd replaced the previous night's exterior with a loose burgundy body suit, huge bat wings hung limp at his sides. The black cloak he usually wore over them was currently wrapped around Ryou, who was still asleep and curled up in the corner, using Bakura's coat as a pillow. He'd fallen back into his spirit form sometime during the night and Bakura didn't have the heart to wake him.

"I hate this stuff," Bakura complained, despite the screaming in his head, and he quickly downed the glass in hopes of silencing them. He grimaced in disgust and covered his mouth, unsure if the sudden queasiness was from his hangover, or the cure for it. "The hangover's less painful."

"Speak for yourself," Joey snapped, slouched in a chair at the table with Mai slouching against his shoulder, growling every time something awoke her. Both of them faded halfway between human and dragon and harpy, drunk, but not weak enough to revert to their true forms.

"Stop talking," Mai growled at him. "You're too loud."

The maitre de consented to his wife's request and slouched back in the thick chair.

On the opposite end of the table, Zane sat braced on his armored dragon elbows with the back of his metal claws rubbing his sore temples. Out of the corner of his eye, Zane peeked into the joint sitting room the staff used occasionally, where he was met with the sweet scene of the servants sleeping. Jaden and Syrus, both shirtless, lay curled in a heavy blanket by the fireplace, their heads resting on a single pillow. The three of them were definitely going to talk when they woke up.

On a lounge sofa, Chazz's upper body was draped over the armrest, a blanket pulled up to his shoulders. On another couch Jesse, who must've fallen asleep on the floor and had been moved, slept uncharacteristically peacefully, under one of Jim's coats. Said Grounds Keeper, who was probably the only one not affected by the blissful, drunken stupor the staff had indulged themselves in after celebrating. Fortunately, none of the boys got drunk and simply passed out from exhaustion. Gazing around the kitchen and noticing the absentees of several key members, Zane assumed both the girls were still sleeping and he shuddered at the thought of what Malik and Marik were doing. An approaching headache scolded him for the previous night's actions and he cursed loudly before getting up, and dumping whatever was left of Duke's hangover cure down his throat.

"God, I can't even remember the last time I acted so irresponsible," he retorted to himself, wiping the excess juice on his sleeve.

"Oh yes, God forbid, our pitch-perfect Steward should ever have any fun?" Bakura teased, his hangover obviously clearing judging from the brightness returning to his eyes and the lack of pain in his smirk.

Zane glared at him but said nothing.

"You gotta admit, that was some party," Duke commented, hopping onto the counter. "I don't think we've had much fun since Kaiba's twenty-first."

"And, not including last night, we hadn't been in the ballroom since," Zane snorted.

Their conversation had been interrupted by a faint humming and the flap of wings. The three of them halted their conversation and turned slowly towards the source. They saw their Master land in the kitchen wearing one of Malik's kimono robes. The Dragon King picked up a tray from the wall and proceeded to cover it in an assortment of Yami's favorite fruits and jams, a plate of biscuits and grabbed a carton of milk from the ice box. A huge, cheerful smile was plastered on his face and he hummed as he moved. If he saw the servants staring at him, or noticed Joey and Mai snoring in the huge armchair from the dining room, he made no indication. He gathered the materials for a quick breakfast, balanced the tray in one arm like a waiter and exited the kitchen singing to himself. The servants stood jaw-dropped and silenced, trying to process the spectacle.

"Was he humming?" Bakura asked pointing subconsciously.

"Uh-huh," Duke nodded. Their eyes bulged with shock. Even Zane's eyebrows expanded from his normally stern and collected Master's uncharacteristic behavior.

A shuffle from the other room alerted Zane's hearing and broke his stupor . He immediately flew to the opening to the den where he found Jaden and Syrus, both yawning and rubbing the sleep from their eyes.

"What'd we miss?" Jaden yawned.

* * *

Boredom and inability to sleep finally became too frustrating for Yami and he shifted his slender body so he was sitting propped against the thick pillows. His lower-half screamed at him for doing so and punished him with a painful soreness that rendered him incapable of moving.

His gaze wandered to the spot where Seto had spent the night with him. A tint of remorse tugged at his heart that Seto wasn't back yet. It was strange how much Yami disliked being away from him. Hoping to take his mind off the absence, he struggled out of bed, hissing when the tiniest movement sent a sharp jolt through him. Seto hadn't lied when he said Yami would be sore for a while. Yami could feel the tense pain in several different places, but he chose not to dwell on it. He'd known what to expect before he and Seto had coupled and it was too late to change it—not that Yami would. The night he'd spent in Seto's arms was well worth the pain of his first time.

Free to take advantage of Seto's room, Yami used the liberty to draw himself a bath and sank into the steaming water. He kept it running until the room was thick with steam. The combination of the hot water and warm, moist air performed miracles on his abused muscles. The warmth wrapped around him like a cocoon, the exact opposite of the clash of coolness and heat he'd felt from the combination of Seto's skin and scales. Yami closed his eyes and sank beneath the surface of the water. He blushed, remembering every colourful detail of their union. He shivered in delight, his body tingling at the memory even under water.

Never in his life had he felt so whole and complete than he had when Seto filled him. The Dragon King had been so patient and gentle with him and despite his desire to finally claim Yami as his own, Seto had been nothing but slow and tender. Tender, at least, until he felt Yami had adjusted enough to him. Yami had only himself to blame for that, but he'd been a willing participant in his own seduction. He'd never felt more alive and exuberant than he had when he was in Seto's arms. Even when he'd been nervous and unsure, the dragon has coaxed him through it and fired his confidence until Yami felt like he ruled the world. He'd never felt so whole; never before had he been met with such passion, such care, such tenderness and trust. He knew Seto was more than capable of giving such, but knowing Seto could and actually experiencing it were two separate entities. One that was much more valuable. Never before had Yami felt such bliss.

Yami was reluctant to leave the tub, but he knew Seto would be back soon. Relieved of his earlier pain, Yami dried himself off and searched Seto's closet for anything clean that would fit him. He'd just finished dressing when he heard the door open and the sound of metal clanging against a table.

"Seto is that you?" Yami peeked out of the closet.

Seto whirled around when he found Yami wasn't in the bed . When he finally found him, he was met with the cute sight of Yami's head poking out of his closet: his wet hair flopped about his head scattering droplets off the spikes, and his beautiful muscular frame was hidden beneath one of _his_ trench coats. The garment was easily twice Yam's size and though it buttoned down to the hips, on Yami it almost went to the knees. The tail pooled about Yami's feet exposing the juicy flesh of his legs. The way too big and broad shoulders hung off him almost comically, yet at the same time it highlighted every loose curve of Yami's petite figure. For a moment, Seto wondered if Yami was wearing anything beneath it.

"Is that my coat?" he asked disgruntled. "Take that off you look ridiculous. And why are you all wet?"

Yami shrugged at the outburst. "I got bored waiting, so I took a bath. And I don't have any clean clothes here, so I grabbed the closest thing that would fit me. It was either that or go naked, and _please_ don't tell me you would've preferred the latter," Yami answered with a sarcastic yawn.

Seto let go of the tray and quickly double-checked to make sure no one was in the hallway before slamming the door shut and leaning against it with his wings flexed. He didn't expect anyone to bother them today, at least after last night he didn't, but he'd be damned if he took the risk. No one could see Yami like this. Even _he _didn't like seeing Yami like this. Oh, he no doubt adored every inch of that delicious skin that was exposed to him and wanted nothing more than to transform that cute, confused look Yami had on his face at Seto's actions into one of pleasure and delight, but he forced those feelings into submission, not ready to act on them just yet. He at least wanted to eat first. Seto may have been a dragon and didn't _need_ to eat, but he still wanted to, and Yami was human. He'd be damned if he let his precious rose wither away from starvation because Seto couldn't control his hormones.

When Yami shrugged his shoulders and strolled over to the food and took a thick bite out of a plum, Seto bit his lip, watching the sweet purple juice drizzle down Yami's chin. He finally reacted when Yami wiped his mouth with the sleeve of the coat and moved to devour another plum.

"Take that off now," he demanded, failing to hide the desperation in his voice.

"But Seto," Yami whined. "I have nothing else to wear, unless you'd rather I'd go back to my room and get a change of clothes…" Yami suggested but Seto fiercely cut him off.

"Absolutely not! Someone will see you!" Yami blinked at the possessiveness in the voice then smirked playfully. He plopped down on Seto's arm chair and folded his ankle over his knee, exposing his leg, and bit into another plum, devouring the sweet, tender pulp.

"It isn't like anyone here hasn't seen me naked before, you know?" He licked his lips then scraped the pit of the plum clean with his teeth and bit back a laugh seeing Seto clench and unclench his hands, shaking from either wrath or want. "I doubt anyone would care if I walked to the East Wing like this?"

"I care," Seto snapped.

"Well, then what do you suggest I do? Go naked?" Yami meant it as a joke, but Seto answered anyway.

"…I didn't say that either," Seto trailed off, giving Yami a hungry look before saying in a last hope, "You got sheets don't you?"

Yami jumped up flabbergasted. "I am _not_ going anywhere wrapped in a sheet like some concubine!"

Seto's smirked curled at the corners. "Who said you were going anywhere?"

Yami's eyes widened when Seto took a step towards him, eyeing him like a wolf about to devour its mate. Yami leaned hesitantly into the chair, his heart pounding each time Seto stepped closer. "Um…Seto…"

Before Yami could say another word, Seto kissed him harshly. Before Yami had time to respond, his trench coat was undone and Seto had pinned to the couch.

Yami wasn't sure when Seto had moved him from the coach back to the bed, especially since he hadn't halted their kisses in that timeframe, but their actions quickly grew bolder and before either of them could control themselves, they'd rolled over and proceeded to make love once again.

Two more copulations added to the three from the previous night and Yami's lithe body was thoroughly exhausted. Seto had taken the liberty of moving the tray to the bed so they could at least eat in-between. Yami quickly found himself famished after such exhausting activity, but every time Seto looked his way, any and all control the dragon seemed to have shattered. He could only stare at Yami while he devoured the food. Whenever he watched Yami sink his teeth into the tender flesh of the fruit, or the juice trickled down his chin, or Yami lick his fingers, he had to force himself not to simply take the man right then and there. He finally broke when Yami offered him some. Seto knew he meant the fruit, but his control broke at the quip and once again Yami ended up pinned and completely taken.

Seto could never get enough of his precious rose. He wondered if there was ever any point in trying. Every sound Yami made, ever moan of delight, or scream of pleasure only fired his blood and the carnal sounds that were literally thrust from Yami made him that much more determined to conquer every inch of his lover. Yami would've protested to the frequency if his throat hadn't become so raw from screaming, but he knew it would be hypocritical of him to do so. It certainly didn't stop him from having his own fun, teasing Seto until the man could barely even look at Yami without being completely smitten with him.

The late evening found Seto carrying Yami into the joint bathroom and dropping him into the huge tub of warm water. When Yami plopped back up he growled at the man, but with his hair falling limb about his head and droplets streaming down his skin, Seto couldn't help but think Yami looked exactly like a kitten disgruntled about having to take a bath.

"You didn't have to throw me!" Yami screeched, furiously, until Seto kissed his cheek and climbed in with him. Yami pouted when Seto pulled him into his lap, his wings hanging limply on either side of the tub and his tail turning off the tap once the bath became mountainous with several hills of bubbles.

"Don't pout, Yami," Seto teased, and gently started rubbing the curls of his claws through Yami's hair until the black tresses were white and soapy. "It only makes you look cuter." He smiled so sweetly, even Yami had trouble keeping his firm defiance.

"You always say that," Yami closed his eyes and leaned against Seto's strong chest, humming at the gentle stroking against his head and hair.

"You don't think I mean it?" Seto teased wrapping his arms around Yami and whispering seductively in his ear.

Yami tried to wiggle out but immediately decided against it when he realized just what position they were in and responded. "What's gotten into you? You were never this affectionate before?"

"Nothing, I just like teasing you."

Yami sighed and accepted the answer, making a mental note to ask Mai if all men ended up this way after making love. He gently pried himself from Seto's arms and dunked under the water to rinse his hair. When he felt something slithering up his side he burst forward and shot up, throwing his head back and sending a wave of water behind him.

"Hey!" Yami whirled around at the sound of Seto's voice, and laughed when he saw the man grimacing over his soaked skin and hair.

Seto growled playfully before charging. "Oh, you little imp!" Seto pounced. Y ami tried to escape but it was futile in the confided space and continued laughing even as he and Seto continued to splash each other until, eventually, Seto pinned him against the rim of the tub and proceeded to kiss him.

To Yami these moments were pure bliss.

* * *

Two weeks. Two weeks since he ran away from home to find the castle where his beloved brother was being held prisoner. Two weeks he'd been living in the woods surviving only because of the warming weather of the upcoming spring and because years of living a nomadic life has taught him to pack and prepare for the worst of situations. Two weeks since he'd begun his search for Yami and he'd found nothing.

Yugi bunched his knees to his chest, shivering but not from the cold. The multiple fires he'd started to keep the cave air warm, and the thick clothing he'd packed had taken care of that. No, it wasn't the cold that made him shiver. He covered his mouth to silence the heavy, haggard coughs fighting to escape.

Quickly, he unpacked the bag containing his herbal blend and dumped it into the pot of water that had been boiling over the fire. Wisps of green vapours erupted from the pot. He inhaled a sharp, large breathe and exhaled contently. Immediately, he felt his throat soothe and his chest become less constricted. He hadn't needed to use the herbal vapours so much before, but the cold weather wasn't doing his weak chest any good. He knew he would've been fine if he stayed in that warm house at night like a good little boy, but how could he when Yami had been missing for almost five months, and the castle where the dragon kept him prisoner seemed to completely vanish?

The thought made Yugi's eyes prick with tears. He pulled his knees closer to his chest and sobbed into them. His fingers trembled, he clenched his arms and knees tighter in attempt to feel some comfort, but there was none. Nothing he did could replace the warmth and security he felt when he, Atem, and Yami were together.

He knew he couldn't go home. Not now. Atem would never let him leave the house again. Yugi didn't blame him, he ran away after all, but he couldn't keep waiting. He couldn't keep sitting around and doing nothing while his oldest brother worked and searched diligently for their missing sibling. He himself had travelled deeper and deeper into the woods, but no matter how many times he found himself back at the path where they got lost in the storm, he couldn't find any trace, or even a hint, of the huge castle. Had it been sheer dumb luck that Yami found it the first time? That they found it at all?

Yugi shook his head forcing himself to dry his eyes and sat up with new determination. If Yami could find the castle to save him and Atem then he could do the same thing to save Yami.

He removed himself from the warmth of his fires and carefully approached the edge of the cave entrance. The cold air bit angrily against his lukewarm skin, as if punishing him for daring to defy it. Over the woods he could see the setting sun was nothing more than a yellow sliver above the trees and the night had gone a deep grayish purple of twilight that bled into the dark blue and black of night. Seeing that there was no point it traveling in the dark, Yugi slid back into the crevice in the rocks and carefully covered it with a thick net of branches to keep out the cold.

He'd found this cave by sheer accident when he'd slipped and fallen into the entrance and discovered a fairly large-sized cave, hollowed out of the dirt and lined with rocks like a fox den. Yugi had decided it would be the perfect place to camp while he explored the woods by day, which proved to be true when the underground and rocks blocked out much of the night's cold and the small opening allowed just enough air so that he wouldn't suffocate from the smoke of the fires.

Sometimes, when he felt really weak and his medicine wasn't helping, he'd have to spend all day curled up in his tiny makeshift tent under the thick blankets he'd brought, until his shivering stopped and he could move again. Tonight had been one of his rare nights where he had just enough energy to go exploring again, but he regretted it when he'd received an unwanted follower. Yugi shivered and blew air into his gloved hands, and rubbed them together before returning to the fire. Outside a loud caw made him scream, the sound echoing off the cave walls forcing Yugi to cover his ears until it faded out.

He whirled around and glared at the source of the sound. A large black crow with unusually bright eyes sat perched on the branches he'd gathered, shaking its head from side to side and looking at him like it was scrutinizing an unusual creature it had never seen before. Yugi growled then leaned down to pick up a rock and threw it at it. The bird didn't move even when the rock became lodged amongst the branches.

"Go away, you stupid bird!" Yugi yelled but regretted it when he started coughing again and quickly returned to the fire and began inhaling more of the herb's vapours, silently praying that the creepy black bird would go away.

Fortune, however, was not on Yugi's side and the crow remained annoyingly in the same place, still watching him in a way that made Yugi uncomfortable. He sat hunched around the fire and tried to ignore it. He held his palms open to the flames hoping to absorb as much heat into his small body as he could.

Eventually, his coughing had exhausted him. The combination of the contrasting hot and cold air made him feel dreary and the lateness stole whatever energy he had left. Forgetting about the stupid bird, Yugi threw the rest of the kindling into the dying fire, pulled the heavy blankets and cloaks from his tent and bundled himself up in a shivering package of warmth.

As Yugi struggled and eventually faded into slumber, the black crow silently hopped down into the cave, its red eyes glowing in the firelight. Its shadow danced in the light of the flickering flames, not the shadow of a bird, but of a man in a cloak.

"You've done well, my pet." The Sorcerer smirked. "There's no question he's the one."

Controlling the bird's actions, the Sorcerer plucked a feather from its wing. He chanted an unspoken tongue as the feather fluttered towards its new host. With a sinister gleam, it dissolved once it touched the adorable boy's childlike cheek.

He felt a tint of remorse when he watched the boy's face scrunch up and a visible stress mark mar his delicate skin. The boy trembled in fear as if subconsciously aware of the hex being cast on him.

"Such a shame," the Sorcerer chided, "but this is the only way I can save your brother's soul. But don't worry, child. I just need him out of the way. Once that's done, everything will go back to normal," he promised, speaking like a child apologizing to another child for breaking their toy. "You're such a lovely child. Oh, if only your brother hadn't been so foolish. But I suppose it's not his fault he was tricked and seduced by a dragon. Speaking of that…"

The rigid bird became lifeful again and burst out of the cave, like a bat out of hell, into the dark night.

The Sorcerer watched, patiently while the woods flashed by. Beneath, he barely caught a glimpse of an iron gate before the castle, he recognized as the one that should be his, came into sight. After a flight around the roof, he found his prize. The bird hopped to the balcony and from there, the Sorcerer saw himself slipping through the tiny crack in the open glass doors. He entered a blue room, his eyes catching a glimpse of the glittering music box in the corner. The bird approached it, but it glared with a warning light when he approached, forcing the bird back like it had collided with a force field. The Sorcerer hissed once, and then brushed it aside. His pet was now standing on the headboard of the Dragon King's canopy bed. It took all of his strength not to burst with fury, or vomit at the sickening sight of the naked gypsy sleeping against the equally naked Dragon King's chest.

Biting back his rage, a wicked grin crossed his face. The bird removed another one of its feathers and let it drop from its beak. A pale red color lit on each strand. It fell like a parasite that had just chosen its next host. Arrogance and triumph dripped off each word as the Sorcerer chanted his spell. The final syllable was spoken the moment the feather touched Yami's bare shoulder and vanished into his skin.

Suddenly, the Dragon King stirred.

"Get out of there!" the Sorcerer thundered. The bird took off like a flash of lighting, barely knocking open the door in its escape, and burst into a cloud of black mist. His eyes and ears gone, having served its purpose, the Sorcerer once again found himself in the woods, miles from all three of his victims. Pearls of victorious laughter burst from his chest so loud it made him tremble with delight.

"It won't be long now," he grinned throwing his cherry cloak over his shoulder ad strode back towards Hawkins Hallow. "One, maybe two, days is all it will take for my trigger to activate and once it does, the final stage of my plan can begin." He chuckled loudly. "You were close, Kaiba. So very close, but it looks like _I _will win this war!"

His peals of laughter sent chills vibrating in to the night.

Seto shot up certain he heard wings flapping and not his own or his staff's. A small sliver of wind, so minimal, anyone else wouldn't have noticed it, alerted him to the crack in the doors. He abandoned his bed and lover and slipped onto the balcony. His eyes scrutinized the grounds and the sky for any sign of intrusion. He found nothing, but it did little to relax him.

Keeping his guard, he returned to his bedroom and locked the doors tight. In the corner, the music box shone unusually bright, as if confirming his suspicions. Seto's teeth grit in rage at the very thought of that monstrosity coming here, into this room, at that very moment…

"Seto?" Yami's voice broke the Dragon King's state and he whirled around to find his concerned lover staring at him with sleepy but troubled eyes. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Seto smiled and climbed back into bed. "Just thought I heard something." He kissed Yami's forehead. "Sorry, I woke you."

Yami yawned and leaned against his favorite pillow—Seto's chest, contently. "It's fine, just try not to do it again, the bed's too cold without out you."

Seto chuckled. "It's much colder out of it, believe me."

* * *

_Darkness. And thick, purple and blue wisps of mist. That was the place Yami found himself walking in. Where he was, or why, he couldn't tell, but the fear of the mist compelled him to keep moving. Echoes and snickers taunted him, but he dared not confront them. Suddenly, he could take no more and started running. He ran as fast as he could, but the faster he ran, the louder the taunting laughter grew, until it evolved into a horrible cackling like the shattering of glass and dozens of crows going to wing. He continued running with no other thought on his mind, even as he approached a doorway in the darkness where a blinding light was. _

_Not even bothering to think, or even wonder why it was there, or how it appeared, he ran through it. White light blinding him before suddenly vanishing. Yami blinked when he found himself in a familiar room, with rich red walls and a burgundy carpet, with dozens of blank and painted canvases stacked on one another against the walls. The figure on the bed commanded his attention. Around him two people, so familiar to him, looked haggard and teary-eyed begging for their friend—the bed's occupant—to awake and return to sanity. _

_The figure was thrashing in his bed, screaming incoherently in words Yami half-understood. His __colourless__ eyes were glazed with madness and a terrible, terrible anguish. Yami ran to them, but the second he touched the man's shoulder, his hand fell right through him. Yami screamed and pulled himself back. His horrified eyes landed on his shaking hands and he screamed realizing he could see right through them. _

_Was he a ghost? Had he died? Was the figure in the bed himself and was he witnessing his own death? No, because the second Yami turned, the figure looked him dead in the eye and Yami was met with the same sharp eyes he saw every time he looked in a mirror; however, these eyes were older, brighter, and looked at him as if subconsciously translating the secrets of the world into him with a single look._

"_Please…" the figure begged reaching a hand out to Yami. He tried to take it, but his new spectral form forbade it. "Save him…help me save him…help me!" the figure begged just before his body disintegrated like dust blown away by the wind._

"_No!" Yami screamed as the entire room blew away like a storm of dust. Inky shadows spiraled around him. Yami turned around and found himself in a strange wood, frozen and barren from the bite of Winter. The scene shifted to a small cave, where a single camp ground surrounded by three dying fires had been set up. Inside, a tiny figure laid scrunched up and pallor in a mess of blankets, coughing and wheezing and shivering from sickness. Upon closer inspection Yami could see the new figure was a boy, a child, alone and sick and terrified and too weak to even cry properly._

_Yami dropped to his knees and reached to comfort him, but his arms went right through the crying boy. Yami screamed in frustration and tried to comfort him, but it was like trying to catch smoke with his bare hands. Then, just like before, the boy looked at him, with large, violet eyes that stared straight into his soul. "Please…please help me," the boy cried. "Please help me?"_

_The cave suddenly vanished and the laughing darkness returned, louder and more vicious than before. Suddenly, red eyes like the ones of the monsters that had attacked him, appeared everywhere, and Yami found himself between the sickly boy and the hysterical man on the brink of insanity. The continual eyes on him and the mocking laughter made him scream and grab his head in pain as his own sanity began to waver._

"_Yami!" the boy called and immediately Yami recognized the voice._

"_Yami!" the man called, the familiar voice now had a face to match it._

_Yami tried to scream again when he saw them both in the clutches of the man who caused everyone he loved so much suffering, but terror and concern stole his voice. The Sorcerer, surrounded by the shadows and flaming eyes laughed, grey-green eyes smirking mockingly at him. And the man and the boy begging Yami for help._

_Yami tried to run to them but the Sorcerer cast his spell and both of them screamed in pain before vanishing in a flash of red smoke._

"_NO!" Yami screamed until his own voice was echoing around him._

* * *

"ATEM! YUGI!" Yami screamed in his sleep.

"Yami, wake up!" Yami's eyes flew open and he found himself being held in place by Seto, the man's blue eyes fixed on him with a mixture of fear and concern. A cold stab of fear pierced him, completely unaware of where he was. He recognized Seto's room, but the bed sheets were twisted and half flung off. One of Yami's arm raised over his head the other clenched the pillow in a fierce death grip, with Seto holding both his wrists. Seto's tail was wrapped firmly around Yami's waist to keep from thrashing about.

Slowly, so as not to scare him further, Seto unwound himself and looked him over for any sign of injury. "Yami?" he asked, carefully, tenderly. So tenderly that Yami despaired. "Are you alright?"

The details of his nightmare came back to him like a cold knife twisting into his heart. A sudden stab of guilt, and terror knifed through him, making Yami flip over and smother his face in a pillow and burst into tears.

"Yami!" Seto kept shaking him, his voice sterner, but not losing an ounce of concern. "Talk to me?"

"I'm fine," Yami lied wiping his eyes. "I just had a nightmare."

"I can see that," Seto said bluntly, lying down next to him and pulling Yami into his arms. "You don't wake up crying and screaming if you've had a good dream."

Despite Seto's attempt at light humour, Yami said nothing. He just looked at the pillow beneath his face. A tear he hadn't noticed ran down his face and he found himself shaking again. He tried to speak but the only coherent thoughts in his head were the pleading, effusing eyes of his two brothers.

Determined to relieve his precious rose of his distress, Seto wrapped tentative arms around Yami, pulling him into his lap, and brought him down with him against the pillows. Yami resisted the embrace and tried to protest but regretted it when Seto looked him straight in the eye. His face was a mask that betrayed no emotion, but his serious eyes held unspoken trust. "You saw your brothers didn't you? You're worried about them." Yami's flinch of shock was the only answer Seto needed. "Don't look so surprised, you screamed both their names. I've had nightmares about my brothers for years after they vanished. I _still_ have them. You don't have to hide your worry." He tucked one of Yami's loose bangs behind his ear. "And I don't want you thinking you can't come to me when you're upset like this."

"Its…it's not that," Yami admitted, feeling his chest stir at the words. "I just…" Yami paused, guilt shaking him to the core. "I don't know if that was a nightmare or another premonition, but…it made me realize just how selfish I've been. I mean, here I am, happier than I've ever been in my entire life, surrounded by people who adore me, wearing the most expensive things I've ever owned. Hell, I'm practically living a fairy tale and they… Atem, Yugi. God, they think I'm starving to death in some cold, dark tower, being tortured." Yami covered his head with his arms and buried it in Seto's chest. "They probably think I'm dead, Seto!" Tears streamed down his face. "Or worse…" he choked a whisper. He'd never stopped thinking of his brothers. Not since the day he'd arrived at the castle. It seemed wrong to do anything else. Even when he started to like his confinement, and enjoy the company of the Dragon King, he still remembered his brothers and was comforted in the thought that they were both safe and hopefully happy. He never stopped to consider that his sacrifice might have the opposite effect of what he intended. Or that his disappearance had destroyed their lives in a way he never considered. But he'd been so happy. The last few days were like a dream come true and he wanted nothing more than to pretend that it could last forever, and he dared, for once, to be selfish and think of nothing but his own happiness. Of course, that decision would come back to haunt him.

Guilt pooled in Seto's gut and he cursed his own helplessness as he watched Yami weep. He hated seeing Yami like this; he deserved to be happy and content, not feel like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders and be consumed by guilt and shame for wanting to forget that and enjoy life for once. Especially since it was _his_ fault Yami's family was separated from him. Looking back at the darkest and earliest days of when he and Yami met, when he'd unleashed his bitterness and rage against the two lost boys, who had every right to be afraid of him, and how he'd only agreed to Yami's proposal because the boy fascinated him and not because he cared at all about their fates, even if Yugi's health had concerned him, filled him with shame.

He had to make up for it. None of those boys deserved to be separated from one another. Especially not because of him. They deserved better than that ridiculous town trapped in time, and he knew just how to do it.

"Yami." Seto stroked Yami's back and gently shook him. When Yami raised his head, eyes red-rimmed and cheeks damp with tears, Seto comforted him with caring words pressed with butterfly kisses along his neck and temples.

"If you're that concerned about them," Seto began with a soft smile. "Then you can always invite them to stay here."

Yami shot up. "What?" he croaked in a weak voice forced through a constricted throat.

Seto smiled. "There's more than enough room here, the staff will adore them. You already said, you three planned on leaving your town anyway, and I don't think they'll argue if you ask them. And I can bare the bulk of their hatred for your sake."

"Why would they hate you?" Yami blurted, too stunned to think clearly.

Seto raised an eyebrow of annoyed obviousness. "Given the fact that I locked them in a tower and technically kidnapped you, I doubt they'd be happy to see me. Or be comfortable with the fact that you're now my lover, but as I said, I can bear the bulk of their hatred until they see I'm not as cold as I act."

"And…you'd do that…for me?" Yami spoke as if his shocked body was a puppet speaking with someone else's voice.

"I'd do anything for you," Seto replied pressing their foreheads together. Overcome by emotion, Yami launched himself into Seto's chest and held him tight with such force he nearly knocked Seto over. Tears rained down his cheeks but this time they were happy tears. "Thank you, Seto! Thank you so much!" Yami cried. "I don't deserve you." He buried himself in Seto's torso grateful for the man's comfort and support and his understanding more than anything else.

"Don't ever say that again," Seto scolded but there was little force behind it. "Don't even think it."

Seto pulled the comforter up to Yami's shoulders as the fell back asleep. "We'll talk more about it in the morning."

Yami nodded. "Thank you, Seto." Yami dried his eyes. "Thank you for everything."

Seto just smiled. "You have nothing to thank me for." Sensing Yami's lingering uncertainty, he continued to hold his lover close and comfort him until they finally fell back into a peaceful sleep. "It's the least I can do since you saved my soul."

Seto continued to hold Yami, keeping a careful watch for the rest of the night, treasuring the feeling of holding Yami close. And when the nightmares bothered him again, Seto was quick to chase them away and coaxed Yami back to sleep with soothing touches and caring words until Yami quieted.

The next morning, Yami wasn't sure whether to be relieved or disappointed that Seto was still holding him. The chill of his nightmares was still in his system and as long as they were with nothing to confirm or disprove them, any emotion other than worry made Yami sick with guilt. Carefully, he unwound himself from Seto's arms and tail and sat with his feet dangling over the side of the bed, the bed sheet wrapped around his shivering frame.

"Are you still thinking about those nightmares?" Yami jumped and whirled around. Seto Kaiba hadn't moved from the spot he was lying in but met the teen with an expression that read Yami's thoughts like they were the opened pages of a picture book.

"When did you wake up?" Yami sighed.

"The second you started moving," Seto answered and positioned himself so he was next to his consort. "You're still thinking about those nightmares aren't you?" he asked, but in his mouth it was a statement not a question and Yami knew it.

Yami confirmed his suspicions with a nod. "I just wish I knew how they were doing. I know they'd both love it here, just like I do. Yugi would be ecstatic to have a whole castle to explore. I know Atem would love the architecture, and if he saw your mother's gallery he'd faint." Yami chuckled then sighed. "But I have no idea what's happening to them, if I could make sure they were alright…" His voice trailed off.

He turned baffled when he felt Seto take his hand. Seto's eyes suddenly lit up with pride like a child who couldn't wait to share their accomplishment with their parents. "I know just how to do it."

He hopped off the bed and scooped up a handful of clothes, Malik must've placed there while they were asleep. "Get dressed."

Yami obeyed. Once they'd donned Malik's latest creations for him, which were surprisingly simple compared to the more complex clothing he'd created for them not a few nights ago, Seto took Yami's hand and brought him towards the far side of the room. The music box Yami hadn't seen for sometime sat peacefully on its pedestal glittering in the morning sun seeping through the cracks in the curtains.

Seto cupped it in his hands, his face beaming. "Remember, what I told you about this box?" he asked, like a child with a secret.

"How could I forget," Yami smiled, recalling very clearly the details of its creation.

"Well, it has another function," Seto said proudly, turning the wind on the box. He held it shut and cupped it in Yami's hands. "When the music starts playing, ask it anything that you'd like and it will play music and show you a vision based on that music. Think of it as a way of seeing something exactly as it happens. I can't leave this castle so this is my only window out."

Yami's eyes widened. "It does that? How?"

"I'm not sure how, but mother always said it was special."

"And how do you know it works?" Yami asked, blinking, his voice skeptical.

A flash of guilt lit across Seto's eyes for a moment. He cleared his throat and with as much dignity as he could must spoke. "I used it to check up on you during your first month here."

Yami felt his veins bulge at that information. "You used it to _spy_ on me?"

"Temporarily," Seto protested, defensively and quickly changed the subject to avoid another spat. "Do you want to use it or not?"

Yami stared at the object skeptically. Hadn't his father always said the Egyptians used Lapis lazuli because of his ability to connect the mind and spirit, and its mystic protective properties? And it wasn't like he had anything to lose…

"I'd like to see my brothers Atem and Yugi," he spoke and uncapped his hand. The box started playing the sweet melody, Yami recognized as the lullaby to his poem, which didn't surprise him once he realized it was the Dragon King he was seeing. He watched the lid slowly open and the tiny dragon figurine with two blue sapphires for eyes dance across the glass stage, dancing and spinning in accordance with the sweet music.

Suddenly it stopped, the music took a sinister tune, and lights erupted from it, spiraling in a dark, chilling tune. Lights spun in a hazy, milky spiral. Yami's eyes widened as shapes and shadows started to form. He felt Seto at his side, no doubt feeling that Yami would need support after witnessing such a miracle. Colours and images began to become clear. Yami recognized the interior of his home and the figures that began to form until Yami recognized the figure of Atem.

Except it wasn't the Atem Yami knew. This Atem was wild with distress, his hair and clothing haggard like he hadn't slept in weeks. His once beautiful eyes were filled with anger and fear, red-rimmed from tears, and clouded by heavy black bags of insomnia. In the image he was screaming and ripping at his hair and clothes when a figure in purple, Yami recognized as Mahado, returned with a solemn face claiming that his search had proven futile.

Yami's eyes widened in horror as he watched his always strong and confident brother, Atem, who was always upbeat and in control to the point of arrogance, broke in a series of shrieks and attacked anyone who came close to him, like a harpy, clawing at its victims. He watched Atem scream at his only friends and throw them both from the house in his rant. Neither of them fought him, knowing he was too gone to think straight. He slammed the door closed and grabbed whatever unfortunate object he could and threw it until it shattered to pieces in his fit of rage and insanity. The chair in the corner, the bowl on the mantle, anything he could find. Finally, he grabbed a picture off the wall and for a moment rationality returned to him. Yami watched Atem's eyes go from wild and mad to stunned and anguished. The image then showed the picture: a portrait of the three boys as children lying against their parents with their maternal grandparents in the background. They'd had it done the last time all of the Moutos were together.

Finally, Yami watched Atem clutch the picture to his chest, collapse against the wall and sink to his knees. He watched his brother scream an anguished cry so heartbreaking that Yami felt his heart shatter to pieces at the sound. Finally, Atem burst into tears.

"Now I've lost _both_ of them."

"Both?" Yami gasped in horror, just now he realized someone was missing from the image.

"No…" A cold stab of fear knifed through him. "Where is Yugi?" he demanded. "Show me Yugi!" he screamed so loud that Seto held on to him to keep him steady.

The music box obeyed. The dragon began spinning again and the image flashed with a milky light. Again, the images faded from white to shapes and shadows. Only this time the shapes turned to that of a young boy, and the shadows were the forest around him. He watched Yugi crawl his way out of a small cave, coughing and wheezing and holding his mouth to keep himself silent. Horror and fear froze Yami in place as he watched Yugi struggle on weak arms to pull himself up, only to stumble and roll to the ground. Sickness running deep into his body rendered him unable to properly move. Yugi collapsed to the ground, coughing loudly and rasped. It didn't even sound like coughing. It sounded like Yugi was choking on air, and he squeezed his chest like doing so would loosen the constriction of his throat, and help him breathe. Tears of anguish streamed down his face. His eyes were wet with the pain of his illness and the terror of his situation. It took Yami all but a few moments to register what Yugi was doing and why, and he brought his voice horrifyingly back to life. "YUGI!"

Seto remained frozen while Yami screamed. Horror caused his eyes to bulge and his limbs to shake. "This is all my fault," Yami's musings forced Seto back to reality.

"What?" he gasped in horror, hearing his consort take the blame for what he knew was _his_ mistake. He forced his weak voice through a constricted throat "Yami this isn't—"

"You don't understand, Seto!" Yami turned to him with a face white from terror and eyes bright and wild from dread, the music box jiggling in his shaking hands. "Yugi's sick. He _can't_ get sick in the winter. He can't handle it. His chest..." Yami's hand flew to cover his mouth. A lone tear fell from each eye and began pooling at his chin. "This is all my fault. I promised when my parents died that I'd take care of them! I promised Yugi I'd protect him! I promised Atem! I'm here living a fairytale while Yugi's _dying_ and it's all my fault!"

Seto watched Yami have a fit of his own, he threw his hands over his head and screamed while he shook it back and forth with such force it was a miracle he didn't break his neck. A new dread froze Seto's being to the core. His eyes fell to the music box, still in clenched in Yami's hand. Its light dimmed as it counted down to the end of February for once it reached the first day of the first month of Spring, his fate would be sealed.

Now, for the first time in his life Seto had a choice. He was well aware of his own feelings and Yami's. All he needed was time, and he had no doubt between now and then that Yami would eventually say those words that would once again make him human. His staff would be free, and Yami could stay with him, rule by his side and together they could return his castle to all its magnificent glory. And the price would be the removal of the only two people Yami could possibly love more than him. It would be like killing two birds with one stone, as the saying went. Or he could free him, send Yami back to his old life with his family who loved him, safe and free. Let his brothers be saved and return their lost sibling to them, and let them return to their peaceful lives, before he meddled in it with his selfish desires and wishes. He knew the chances of Yami returning before the needed time were slim. The chances of him saying what needed to be said where even slimmer. Both choices brought life and death, brought hope and despair, but only one truly promised Yami's happiness.

The choice was clear.

"Then what are you waiting for, Yami. Get Phantom and go after him."

Yami's entire world shifted at Seto's words, he could barely form a coherent whisper "What?"

Seto offered a sad smile, his eyes shadowed by chocolate bangs. "Your brothers need you, Yami, you have to be there for them now. I can't leave the castle grounds but you can."

The utter truth in Seto's words crashed against the realization that he had the option, rendered Yami incapable of speech. "But, what about…our deal," Yami choked, barely whispering that last part. His face fell to the ground unable to meet Seto's face.

The Dragon King didn't give him the luxury, and knelt down on one knee so he was looking up at him. "I told you, you aren't a prisoner, Yami. I've never thought of you as one, and if memory serves, I freed you less than a week ago. You're free to come and go as you like."

Tears poured from Yami's cheeks, but before Seto could wipe them away, Yami threw himself into his arms and wrapped them tightly around Seto's neck and shoulders and buried his tearful face in the contours of his chest. "Thank you, Seto." Yami poured all his happiness and gratitude into those three words. _Thank you for loving me enough to let me go._

Seto returned the gesture, holding Yami tight like the boy would vanish if he didn't. He barely felt it when Yami pulled away from him and rubbed his eyes with his sleeve. "I'll come back. I promise. Once Yugi and Atem are better, all three of us will come," Yami promised with hopeful eyes, so much so that Seto wisely kept quiet.

"I know you will," he nodded.

Yami rushed to leave then stopped when he realized the music box, which hadn't stopped playing, was still in his hand. Quickly, he turned around, motioning to return it, but Seto only smiled at him and curled Yami's fingers over the box. "I want you to keep it."

Yami immediately protested. "I can't keep this it's—"

Seto cut him off, still smiling. "Mother gave it to Father, Father gave it to me. I'm giving it to you. That way you'll always have this," his claw tapped the ruby jewel of the chocker still clasped around Yami's throat. He'd forgotten he was wearing it, and dared not take it off. "And this," Seto held up the box gently closing it before its song could end. "To remember me by."

Yami nodded graciously. Words could not express his gratitude. "I _will _come back," he promised. He turned and gave Seto one final smile before bursting from the room and down the hallway.

Only when he was alone, did Seto finally collapse against the table with such force that the glass screamed its protest against his weight. A clawed hand gripped his russet locks. The silent tears pricking his eyes were all he could do to keep from completely breaking down.

Part of him still screamed to run down the hallway take Yami in his arms and beg him not to go. He steadied himself to do just that. But his mind burst with the memory of the sick little boy Yami loved so much crying out for him, and once it did the image of three more little boys no older than he also crying out for help silenced any other thoughts.

"_Seto, when you become the Dragon King, you'll still be able to spend time with us like this won't you?"_

"_Of course, I will, Mokuba. How could you ever think such a thing?"_

"_Well, you'll be King won't you? You'll be busy doing kingly things like Father does. You won't have time to worry about three little boys."_

"_That's ridiculous, Noah, and you know it is. You three are everything to me. How could I ever rule an empire without you all there to help me? I'd go mad without you all to keep me sane?"_

"_Really?"_

"_Would I ever lie to you, Mokie?"_

"_Nope, never ever."_

"_Then there you go."_

"_What about me? I don't think anyone would like me being your advisor. I'm not a real Kaiba."_

"_Who told you that, Leon? If you're not a Kaiba then I'm not either!"_

"_But you're their cousin, Noah, you're still their family. I'm just adopted."_

"_That's nonsense, Leon, you're just as much my brother as Noah and Mokuba are, and don't ever let anyone ever tell you otherwise!"_

"_You mean it, Seto?"_

"_Have I ever lied to you?"_

"_Never."_

"_Exactly."_

"_You promise you won't leave us, Seto?"_

"_Never, I'll never let anything happen to you guys. I promise."_

A lone tear streaked Seto's cheek. "I promise."

* * *

The darkening clouds outside alerted the entire staff of the approaching rain.

"Looks like we're about to get a downpour," Duke announced peeking through the curtains. At the table, Téa was quick at work, gathering whatever Bakura and Ryou were cooking onto a tray.

"Did Yami and the Master eat, yet?" she asked Chazz, who was currently playing poker with the rest of the servants.

Chazz shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I haven't been up there since the ball."

"You didn't think to check on them?" Mai asked with a perky brow.

Chazz snorted. "No mam, not this morning I didn't." The smirk on his face was enough to put a few not-so-innocent thoughts in everyone's heads.

Téa sighed. "I should've sent this up with Malik then." The girl gathered the tray and started towards the door. Duke rushed to open it for her, only for it to slam into his face when someone opened it from the other side.

All eyes rose and blinked when they spied Yami standing there panting and flushed like he'd been running. His eyes clouded with panic and rimmed with red like he'd been crying.

"What the devil happened to you?" Bakura gaped, lowering the flames of the hearth. He hadn't failed to take in the youth's haggard appearance and immediately his thoughts became dark. "Where's Kaiba?" he demanded darkly.

The phrase sent a silent child of dread through the staff, horrified at the thought of their Master being the cause of the boy's distress.

"He's upstairs," Yami spoke quickly. "The quickest way to my room is through the dining room right?" He rushed to sprint, but Téa was quick to dump the tray on the counter, and grabbed his arm.

"Yami, what happened? You're a mess! What's going on?" she asked her voice high with concern and uncertainty.

"Nothing's wrong. I swear," Yami said assuringly. "I just need to go away for a little while."

"What!" The entire staff jumped. Jaden, Chazz and Jesse dropped their cards. Syrus slumped back while the other three crowded around him. Judging from the sorrow in Yami's apologetic eyes and his limbs twitching with hastiness, he knew there was more to it than that, and that nothing was fine.

"What do you mean you're leaving?" Chazz demanded.

"Aren't you happy here?" Jaden asked with teary eyes.

"Of course, I am," Yami assured them waving his hands. "I'm not leaving forever. I'm coming back. I just have to take care of a few things first."

His word did nothing to reassure the staff or the servants.

"Yami?" Syrus finally broke his silence. "Did something…happen?" he asked in a calm voice that betrayed the plethora of emotions on his contorted face.

Yami looked away. "Yes, Sy, something did." He turned to the staff who all looked at him with questioning eyes. "Listen everyone, this has nothing to do with Seto, or me, or has anything to do with you. My brothers are sick. Yugi's lost in the woods and I have to find him. He could die if I don't."

A string of collective gasps was the only prelude to the upcoming silence.

"But don't worry," Yami promised. "I'll come back. As soon as I know they're alright, I'll come back. Maybe I can even convince them to stay, as well. I know they'll love it just as much as I do. You've all been so wonderful to me and I can never thank you enough for that. Thank you." Yami's smile was bright and his eyes were wet with gracious tears. His face radiated so much hope that it broke the heart of everyone in the room, that if he did come back, it would be to an empty castle of hopeless spirits, unable to speak or talk, or perform the functions of humanity ever again.

"I'll come back. I promise," Yami said before running to the dining room.

Only Duke dared to stop him. "Yami wait, you can't leave if you do Seto will—" scream as he might, his voice constricted under the weight of the spell rendering him to silence. Too late did he regain his voice. They could already hear the thunder of Yami's steps as he ran upstairs.

"This isn't happening! This isn't happening!" Joey yanked at his hair. Next to him, Mai collapsed in a chair gazing at the ground as if she were a frozen doll.

"We can't let 'em leave! He doesn't know about the deadline!" Jesse screamed.

"Damnit!" Bakura screamed causing the hearth behind him to erupt in flames.

"We have to tell him!" Jaden announced.

"How the hell are we supposed to do that?" Chazz scolded.

"He's right. We're cursed to not reveal the curse. Yami has to figure it out himself," Serenity added.

The banter continued, screaming and curses, ideas and arguments and protests and no one said anything that hadn't already been said. No one noticed the youngest and smallest of their group slip away unknown amongst the chaos.

"What's going on?" Malik and Zane suddenly burst into the room.

"Seto's gone and I just saw Yami running like a bat out of hell. What happened?" Malik demanded.

"He's going home." The entire staff whirled around meeting the calmed, expressionless face of the Dragon King.

"Kaiba," Zane stepped forward. "What do you mean, he's going home?"

"Exactly as it sounded, Zane. Yami's brothers are ill and they need his help, so I let him go."

* * *

Yami hurried and changed into the simple long-sleeved white shirt, black pants and riding boots he'd worn the day he came to castle extremely grateful Malik didn't throw them out. He purposely ignored the closet full of glittering clothes Malik had made specifically for him and searched for something to carry the music box in. All of his coats had pockets, but Yami refused to even gaze upon the beautiful objects. If he did he'd take them with him and then never take them off, and it would be selfish to take them with him.

If he'd touched even one of those garments, he'd be flooded by the memories each one had. The scarlet jacket with gold spirals and a violet shirt he'd worn his first night in the castle where he met the boys and first felt hope for his stay. The gold frock gold with blue and purple flames he'd almost destroyed the night he and Seto saved each other from the monster. The violet jacket and simple outfit he'd donned when he and Seto finally opened up to one another about their pasts. The scarlet and black lace from Seto showed him his mother's gallery. The black and gold outfit fashions with a lion emblazonment from when he went ice-skating with Jim and the boys and Seto saved his life. Even the rose colored pajamas carried the memory of when Seto shown him the library.

Yami stopped when he heard a rustle like a mouse and followed the sound. Instead, he found Seto's coat draped over a chair as if fate was reminding him that he could never forget what he had here. Again his mind was thrown into an assortment of chaos.

Before he'd have jumped at the chance to leave the castle and he'd have done so without ever looking back. Now not only was he being given that choice, but the chance, even if it wasn't of his own will, but rather because he had to. He still felt like a tree rooted in place. The thought of ever removing those roots bothered him in ways Yami never imagined it would. How long had it been before he started using his imprisonment, if he ever called it that, as an excuse _not_ to leave?

His fingers brushed the stitching of the dragon on the arm. That coat. The coat Seto wrapped him up him his first night in the castle. The coat Seto had given him to make him feel more at home in the strange place. The coat he'd worn to the fairy dance where for once in his life he felt like a prince, and not a secondary character to someone much more qualified for the role. The coat he'd worn the night he and Seto made love for the first time. The one he'd worn when Seto told him the truth of the pendant he still wore around his throat, clutched tightly in his palm.

Unable to take anymore, he grabbed the coat and threw it over his shoulders. It swirled like wings falling gracefully over his form, even as he held it close against him so tightly like it would become his skin if he squeezed hard enough. The other hand clutched his pendant so hard he felt the smooth curves digging into his palm. It still smelled like Seto. He slipped the music box into his pocket, and patted it when it felt like something was wiggling in it. Probably the box.

He rushed from the room before anything else could invoke his memories. He already had the coat, the music box and the choker. Anything else of Seto and Yami knew he'd be tempted to go find him again.

He forced his mind and body from the cold feeling that clutched at his being as he hurried to the stables. He thanked ever deity he knew of that Jim wasn't there and that Shirley was sleeping. He hurried to Phantom and undid his reigns. The actions woke the horse who stared at his master with concern, knowing just from the hastiness of his actions that they were not taking a morning ride.

Quickly, before anyone could find him, Yami mounted the horse. "Come on, Phantom. We have to find Yugi, yah!" He whipped the reigns and with just as much urgency as his master, the horse was off. The rush of cold air numbed Yami's body to the core and he was grateful for the distraction. He ushered Phantom faster every time he felt his heart ache and his mind scream at him to turn around, but he dared not.

"Hurry, Phantom," Yami commanded. He could blame it on concern for Yugi, and much of it was, but Yami knew if he stopped now, if he turned around and took even a small look at the castle he once called home…he'd never leave. He'd turn around, run right back inside, apologize to everyone for leaving, find Seto and throw himself back into the King's arm and promise never to leave again. But he knew he couldn't.

It would be too selfish if he did. First, he had to right the wrong his absence had done to his family. First, he had to save them, just like they'd already tried to do for him. When they passed the gate a loud, heartbroken roar echoed in hears. He turned his head, but quickly corrected himself and closed his eyes tightly. He didn't open them again until he was positive he could no longer see the castle he'd hope to call home behind him.

* * *

"Why!" The room exploded into questions.

"You were so happy together," Jesse cried at the heartbreaking words.

"Are you insane?" Bakura screeched.

"How could you let him go?" Joey and Duke both screamed accusingly.

"The curse takes effect at midnight on the first month of spring," Malik insisted, freaking. "That's in less than two weeks! Even if Yami does come back, there's no way he'll be able to…"

"Don't you all think I know that?" Seto snapped furious, his wings rising with the angry volume of his voice. "I _know_ exactly what I'm doing. I'm well aware it could take longer than two weeks for Atem and Yugi to heal and even if Yami does return in time our chances of survival are slim to none and I know I have no right to condemn you all for my selfish decision but I couldn't do it…" For the first time in their lives, the staff saw Seto flinch, his composure faltered and his fists shook like rattles held straight at his sides.

Kaiba fought with all his will to keep control but it was faltering faster than he could control it. It was like each word he spoke broke another piece of his soul, taking with it all that made him human—the humanity that Yami resurrected from the ashes of the man he used to be.

"I couldn't do it. I wouldn't. I won't force him to stay here against his will. I won't let him suffer, knowing the only family he has left is suffering and that he could help them, but didn't. I won't let him lose all that he has left. I won't let him break his promise like I did." The last part he spoke so loudly and passionately that the heartbreak he fought so hard to conceal was like a whiplash to everyone's side. The girls all had tears in their eyes. The three boys started shaking, and the men were either silent or too stunned to speak.

"Yami deserves to be happy, you all know that. He'd never be happy here if we asked him to stay. He deserves to be free and live his own life, not be used as a pawn to end our suffering!"

The Dragon King spoke which such force and finality that no one dared to speak. The Dragon King sighed and turned around, knowing if he stayed any longer he'd reveal himself in ways a Master shouldn't.

"You're in love with him," Zane's declaration broke the silence like a stone hitting the water in a well. Seto paused. He didn't turn around.

All eyes turned to the Steward, who's been unusually quiet until now. The shadows on his face vanished when he lifted his head, revealing wild eyes that could no longer remain silent. "You love him…even when you never thought you could. You'd rather accept damnation than tell him the truth and make him choose to leave everything behind." The steward shook with rage, watching as the Dragon King walked away before finally screaming. "You're a fool, Seto Kaiba, you hear me! A damned fool!"

Seto walked away. Faintly, Seto's dragon ears heard the staff talking as he walked away, desperate for some way to ease the inedibility of what would eventually transpire and he hated himself more because of it.

"We were so close." He heard Joey collapse in defeat.

"We still are, we all know how Yami feels, he just has to say it. How can he now?" Duke spoke in a solemn tone.

"But wait? If Seto loves Yami…and Yami loved Seto, won't that break the spell?" Téa said next. Ironic how the girl who feared, and almost certainty knew, this very thing would happen, had transformed into his precious rose's strongest supporter.

"It's not enough," Mai spoke in a defeated voice. "Real, _true_ love is not a one-way thing. Yami has to love Kaiba in return…and admit it."

Seto barely made it to the hallway when he caught Chazz repeat the very same words he himself had believed not long ago. "Now, it's too late."

When he was in the safety of his room his mask crumbled. He collapsed in a shaking heap, so grief stricken that even tears could not form in his eyes. He struggled to stand growling and desperate for something to soften the sharp daggers piercing his heart. He grabbed the closest victim he could find—a small table—and threw it across the room. He screamed and thrashed at anything he could find: ripping the curtains, clawing at the furniture and slamming his fists against the floor hard enough to leave dents. Anything to make the pain go away. The more he thrashed, the more he screamed and cried, the more he felt himself slipping away. Slipping back into the furious broken creature he'd been, before Yami came.

_Yami_. His precious rose. His soul. His humanity. The one who saved him when even he had given up on himself. The one who never once looked at him with fear or disgust. The one who never saw him as a monster. His key, he knew it

Seto crawled off the floor to his struggling feet. He dragged himself towards the balcony and gripped the edge, weakly. Down below, he heard Phantom whinnying. He watched the black dash spring across the courtyard. Yami on his back. Never once did the boy look back.

Unable to hold back anymore, Seto growled so inhumanly that even he himself believed he was nothing but a dragon now. Slowly, that growl morphed into a scream than a roar. The thunder of his voice echoed across the sky. It wasn't the heartbroken scream of a man. That was gone. No, it was the sound of a dragon: a furious, monstrous wail of anger and hatred for the world after he'd found the slain body of his mate.

When he could no longer scream, Seto felt his knees buckle beneath him and his arms liquefy. He collapsed in a heap on the floor, his weak arms barely holding onto the railing. He pressed his forehead against the stone, tears streaming down his face and silent cries escaping his lips.

He didn't care if he was a monster. He didn't care if he became cursed until the end of his days. He didn't care that when the Sorcerer came, he'd lose his soul and become a mindless beast for eternity and everything he loved and cherished would die. No, all he knew was that this would be the last time he'd ever see Yami again. And the boy would never know it.

_My precious rose. Please be happy. That's all I ask._

He could only hope Yami never learned just how close he came to truly breaking the curse.

* * *

The Sorcerer shrieked with laugher.

"Oh this couldn't have gone better if I planned it!" he screeched with delight. "It looks like my gypsy was more useful than I thought." Oh how delicious it was seeing the Dragon King suffer the worst pain that came with being human. He'd planned his timing well and just in time, it seemed. Had he waited any longer and he had no doubt the boy would've realized his feelings and said the necessary words needed to break the spell. But it didn't matter now.

He changed his raven's eyes to the beautiful gypsy racing through the woods. It wouldn't be long before both boys returned to the village. The youngest would recover once he saw his beloved older sibling, and the eldest would be cured of his madness once his lost brothers returned to him, as was the nature of the curse he'd placed on all three of them. How fortunate that his gypsy had rushed to their safety, so he didn't have to conjure up anymore grotesque nightmares to plague him. Only proved just how perfect his little gypsy truly was. Again he laughed; how rich that the Dragon King believed the boy to be is?

His lips twisted to a smirk of satisfaction. He rushed to tell the Duchess the good news. She would no doubt come calling soon, the child broker right alongside her to force the gypsy's hand should he rebuke her, which he most certainly would. How fortunate that the silly girl's plans worked so well with his own. By the time she realized his betrayal, it would be too late. All the pawns had done exactly as he wanted. All of their moves had been done in a way that benefited him best.

"You may have won the battle, Seto Kaiba," he boasted arrogantly. "But you lost the war!" Laughter burst sinisterly from his throat. Everything was going according to plan. "And when all this is over, your precious gypsy will be _all mine_."

* * *

Again, i am SO happy i got this chapter finished! MWHAHAHAHAHAHA! I love this this chapter came out! So far it is my longest chapter to date!

Originally, it was going to be longer with a different and much more evil ending, but it was already super long and i decided everyone had enough angst so I'll save it for next chapter :ivonevilgrin:

A lot of people asked me how Yugi had been surviving, so I hope i explained it well enough: given their nomadic lifestyle, I feel Yugi would be experienced enough to take care of himself on his own in the wilderness, plus caved are natural heaters, especially during the winter, so I felt the best place for Yugi to stay was there. Also, I did the math, it HAS been two weeks since the two chapters: where yugi ran away and Seto invited Yami to the ball, so yugi has been out there for three weeks.

As i said the bath scene with Seto and Yami was inspired by the doujinshi Honey, cause i thought it was a super cute scene. Also the section with Yami and Seto after love making was inspired by a few of Mel Meiko Mei Ling's short stories that were wonderful reads!

I cried writing the end of this chapter, but I was determined to capture the emotion! i think i pulled it off...

As always thank you all so much for you patience and support and oh yeah... LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!


	28. Chapter 27: The First Strike

(Explosion causes a storm of bats and butterflies to burst out from the darkness and a woman with black wings and wearing a long black sleeveless dress with black gloves crawls out of the whole with five kuribohs swarming about her: Teenie appears in her Queen of Plot Twists form):

I'M !

Just like I promised darlings...did you miss me?

I suppose i should apologize for the three and a half month wait, but my plans to get this and FK finished over my break fell through the wayside and this chapter was an absolute BITCH to write, I still got it to come out the way i wanted but its still not one i relatively like. In all honesty, i planned on finishing this chapter over a MONTH ago, but school was absolute MURDER: first my seventies presentation and midterm set EVERYTHING back, my research for my biography project got set back and it took me TWO weeks to finish it, my last object for my historiography project still hasn't come in yet, and I still have to do that! but fortunately, my biography project is done and i'm home for a week so i can get everything done without distraction! THANK GOD!

Plus now i can begin research for my Egypt paper which is basically and excuse to do research for my Sailor Moon x yugioh x-over but replacing all the greek myths that inspired Sailor Moon with Egyptian mtyhology: SQEEEE!

But you guys don't want to hear me ramble so...

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Dedications: to ShanaAlvarado29 my new friend whose amazing prideshipping fic Valiant Heart got me back in my game and who without i never would've gotten this chapter up so fast, you rock girl! Seriously check out her fic! it is WONDERFUL! and to KedakaiOkami who has not only agreed to be my Beta for the rest of the project and does a super fabulous job each and every time! But how got this chapter back to me just in time for my to keep my promise. You are the best girl!

And now without further ado...

* * *

Chapter 27: The First Strike

"Yugi!" Yami called into the still night but the only response he received was an echo of his own voice. The air was still, stagnant and so silent that it filled him with dread. The only sound, other than his own voice, was Phantom's loud whining. "Yugi!" Yami called and kicked the horse's sides, urging him to keep moving. The horse obeyed and dropped his nose to the ground for any sign of his younger master. But the darkness was thick and the woods were unwilling to give up their captive.

Yami tried to recall the image the music box showed him and the cave where Yugi had stumbled out of, but it was impossible to tell in the darkness. The forest was huge and impossible to navigate. As if answering his prayers, something jiggled in his pocket. Kicking himself, Yami scooped the music box out of his pocket. He wrapped Phantom's reigns around his wrists and turned the box. "Where's my little brother?" he asked frantically.

The music box opened, playing a soft, sad tone and illuminated a pale blue light. The dragon started to dance then suddenly stopped, pointing in a random direction. North West of his current location.

"He-ya!" he pulled on the reigns and whipped them for Phantom to move. The horse released a whine of determination and burst through the forest, whinnying as Yami called Yugi's name as loud as he could. The dragon started shaking in Yami's palm, warningly. Finally, Phantom slid down the muddy tracks and into a small clearing at the end of woods. The horse screeched in horror. Yami stumbled to keep control of the reigns, but Phantom shook his head and lifted his front leg, pointing. Yami followed with his eyes and chocked on a gasp.

Without thinking he leapt from the horse's reigns, the music box somehow finding its way back to his pocket. He dropped so his knees and gently stroked the still body of his beloved baby brother. His skin was frosty white, his lips dyed blue and his limbs condensed and closed in, forming a tight ball as tiny as he could make himself. Heavy clothing warmed his hands, shoes and covered his trademark hair, but he visibly shivered despite the protection.

"Yugi! Yugi!" Yami scooped the bundle into his arms and pressed his ear to Yugi's chest. "Yugi! It's me, it's Yami! It's aniki. Come on, Yugi, open your eyes! Please!" he begged and screamed.

As if sensing his master's distress, Phantom whined loudly and strolled over, gently brushing the small boy's still form with his nose. The bundle shivered at first then started to stir. A grunt, Yami prayed it wasn't his imagination, echoed in the darkness just before the small boy started to move. Suddenly, Yugi expelled a horrible cough that made Yami so relieved he nearly felt sick. He was alive. Yugi was alive. But he was coughing far too much and the hard, dry sound steadily grew worse and worse as Yugi struggled to breathe. Instinctively, Yami pulled Yugi to his chest and rubbed his back, soothing his muscles in a manner he'd watched his mother do when Yugi's fits became too severe. Slowly, his coughing started to subside and Yugi started to dry heave instead. As he started to regain his breath, Yami stripped off Seto's coat and bundled his little brother up in it. Tears of happiness glittered like tiny rhinestones on his eyes and he made no move to wipe them away. He pulled Yugi into a deep hug and held him close.

"Shh, it's alright, Yugi. You're okay," he soothed, rubbing the boy's back and stroking his hair.

"Yami?" Yugi's voice cracked from dryness. His blurry eyes became wet with tears and he couldn't take them off Yami. "Aniki, is that really you?" Yugi didn't wait for an answer; he threw himself into Yami's arms, screamed into his chest and cried his eyes out. "Oh Yami!" he cried loudly, all while Yami held him tight and bundled.

"It's alright, Yugi," Yami held him until Yugi calmed down. "You're safe now."

He carefully scooped Yugi into his arms, making sure the coat kept out the cold. Yugi was still coughing far too violently and he was too flushed for Yami's liking. Yami wanted to get his youngest sibling home as fast as possible. In agreement, Phantom lowered himself to his knees and let Yami carefully place Yugi on his back before climbing on himself.

"Don't worry, Yugi," Yami kissed his forehead and smiled as his brother cuddled into his chest, coughing slightly. "Phantom knows the way. Now let's go home"

Yami took the reins in his hand and met the horse's dark eyes. "Come on, Phantom, Yugi's sick and so is Atem, get us home as fast as again. Ye-ah!"

The Phantom delivered and, the moment he rose to his feet, was off like a streak of silent lightning through the forest, instinct and memory guiding him towards the Moutos' home.

* * *

The estate that had once been so full of life had become so vacant and lifeless that Atem could barely stand it. So, despite the freezing cold and the anguish racking his body, he sat on the front porch, looking into the empty darkness. His mind was like a vortex of emotions so fragile that one single movement would cause it to shatter.

His vacant scarlet eyes stared into the empty blackness, his lips moving to curse the woods for taking everything he loved from him. Another fit of madness began to surge in his veins, his bruised and bleeding hands moved to attack something, anything he could strike within striking distance. Angry fingers clenched and unclenched at his side, his teeth grit with rage and his vacant eyes became wild. His mind became filled with rage and images of the bleeding, broken corpse of Yami and Yugi's body writhing with spasms of coughing and fever burning through his veins, all while that dragon's arrogant laughter burned in his ears, fueling his rage until he wanted to claw at the dirt and rip up the forest by its roots.

The echo of a loud neigh penetrated the wall of lunacy and for a moment sanity returned to him. Madness cleared from his eyes and he made out a moving shape, barely visible in the blackness, but the sound grew louder and louder. Vaguely, he made out the shape and another shape, and then colours and suddenly his sanity returned. His mind was clear and he could see everything.

For a moment he thought he was dreaming. He watched Phantom ride up to his house, kicking up his legs and neighing loudly in triumph. He watched as Yami, the same proud, regal and passionate Yami he knew and loved, dismounted from the horse, slowly, so not to harm or awaken the bundle on the horse. He watched as Yami carefully put the bundle on his back and he could see a familiar tuff of tricolored hair and a cute face poke out from an incredibly expensive looking coat that had been wrapped around him. He watched two small arms wrap weakly around Yami's shoulders and watched Yugi rest his cheek on Yami's shoulders. He was asleep and his face flushed with fever, but his breathing was even. He watched Yami carry their younger brother on his back, Phantom not far behind him, ever watchful.

He watched Yami and Yugi come closer, both of them smiling, Yugi in his sleep, and Yami's brighter than he thought possible, and for a moment it was like the last four months had been a nightmare and he was just now waking up.

Yami stopped not two feet in front of him. A small, almost guilty, smile on his face. "Hey, Atem."

Atem threw his arms around his two lost brothers and burst into tears.

* * *

Yami tucked the blankets carefully about Yugi's chin and readjusted the icy rage on his forehead, letting the cold water alleviate the fever burning his younger brother's body. His now even breathing had confirmed that Yugi had faithfully kept up his medications and removed both Yami and Atem's fears that he might have caught pneumonia, or some other illness that might have become lethal due to his ailment. However, Yugi's fever had yet to break which meant that whatever had afflicted him out in the woods had made him weak enough that it would take his body longer than normal to heal from the fever, but they wouldn't be certain until the doctor arrived in the morning.

Yami smiled at his sleeping brother and watched him cuddle with the stuffed rabbit their mother had given him as a child for his third birthday. Yugi had denied sleeping with it once he'd turned ten, due to teasing from his brothers, but they both knew that was a lie and acted the part solely to humour him. But right now, Yami found it adorable and…normal. Like for a moment he could pretend Yugi was just asleep in his bed and Atem had chosen to sleep on the couch to be close to his younger siblings. They'd done that all the time when they were younger: the three of them huddled together for warmth in the caravan, so they could stargaze or share stories until they fell asleep. In reality, Yugi was asleep, shaking with fever, and Atem was only here so Yami could keep an eye on them both after he'd passed out, cutting their emotional reunion short. The moment he'd seen them, alive and well and safe, Atem had hugged his brothers tight, cried his heart out and screamed with joy until he finally collapsed.

As happy as he was to see them both alive and well, Yami was glad they were both asleep. He had far too much to think about right now and the last thing he needed was to answer the plethora of questions they would no doubt have for him once they awoke. So much had happened to him that night, he realized, abandoning Yugi's side to lean against the wall adjacent to the bed and slid to the floor. He bunched one of his knees to his chest and tightened a hand around his bangs. So much had happened in that single day and night and he nearly felt sick from confusion and relief.

He was home. In his own house. The house he grew up in with his parents and grandparents until Yugi was three and old enough for them all to travel. He was in Yugi's room, the room the three brothers had shared before they'd left, and after they returned to Hawkins Hallow, until it was deemed too small to house three growing boys. Downstairs their family portrait hung over the mantel piece above their grandmother's collection of photographs. The three of them had complained for hours about having to stand still for so long in their itchy clothes, to the point their mother nearly scolded them to tears. Down the hallway their parents' bedroom was still intact. None of them having the heart to really remove anything and next to it would be the studio that housed their mother's paintings, perched right next to Atem's blank canvases. Downstairs in the parlour would be their grandfather's collection of games. He'd spend hours in there, Yugi begging and pleading him to teach him how to play them, until the old man's sentimental heart caved and they'd play all day, until the toddler surpassed the old man, surprising everyone, including himself. To this day none of them could believe that a three year old Yugi had beaten Solomon Mouto at chess, a feat only Sarah Mouto had ever accomplished. And in a box under his bed, Yami would find the collection of trinkets his father bought him. Each one would have a story attached to it.

That was the life he'd always known. The life he'd adored. And now he was back in it. Like he could go to sleep, wake up tomorrow morning and his life would returned to its bleakly, blissfully normal one. He and Yugi would go into town to shop for dinner while Atem would spend the day in his studio. The town would snicker and gossip as they passed and take bets on when he'd finally ask Duchess Rebecca to marry him. And then they'd come home, he and Yugi would make dinner and forbid Atem from helping, and Atem would pout and go on and on about how unfair the situation was. Then they'd laugh and grin without a care in the world and go on about how they planned to leave that town and count their savings until they fell asleep. Looking back, those times were so blissfully simple and sweet that his earlier desires and complaints about how boring and unsatisfactory his life was seemed so vain and selfish, Yami nearly wept from shame.

And what made him feel worse was that he _still_ felt that way. He was ecstatic to see his brothers were alright and healthy, or at least they would be as soon as the doctor arrived in the morning, but it was coupled with a deep emptiness in his chest. His thoughts drifted back to the old manor, that beautiful black and gray castle that was surrounded by woods and beautiful hills. The castle with its enchanted staff who could change between ghost, human and monster. And of course the mysterious Dragon King who dwelled within. Seto Kaiba. The man who started out as a fairy tale to him and turned out to be the only love he'd ever known.

He missed them Yami admitted to himself. He missed the old castle with its many secrets and rooms and adventures. He missed the staff who adored him and treated him like gold. Most of all he missed his Dragon King who'd changed so much during the time they'd spent together and who was simply nothing more than a lonely, misunderstood man, betrayed and scorned by the world. It was only natural his hundred years of solitude would leave scars on his heart.

His free hand clenched the dangling pendant about his neck. Seto's story about them came back painfully in his mind. Suddenly, it felt heavy and tight around his neck. The simple, but content, happiness of his old life crashed against the sheer perfection and bliss of the one he'd found. When he was trapped in that tower if God himself had told him he would find freedom, acceptance, happiness and true love within six months, he'd have punched the speaker in the jaw and swore on his ancestors that would never happen. The thought caused a dark chuckle to erupt in his throat.

"How did this happen?" he wondered out loud and bunched his legs while his arms rubbed his shoulders and upper arms. "How did my life suddenly fall completely apart?"

He buried his face in his knees and bunched himself into a ball, as if the contact would make him feel grounded. Instead he felt stretched, like a rubber band being pulled tighter and tighter in two different directions until it finally snapped down the center. Just last night both of his worlds were on the verge of joining: the only thing left was for his brothers to come live with them and his life would've been perfect. Looking back it sounded like a dream. A wonderful dream-come-true. But then in the span of a few minutes it had all completely fallen apart.

All he could think about was the heartbreak he saw in Seto's eyes just before he left the castle. The dam of concealed emotions. Those eyes that begged him to stay, but restricted such words, purely because he knew someone else needed Yami more than he did.

Unable to remain still, Yami got up and left the suffocating space of the small room as quietly as he could. A sudden rush against his skin alerted him to the absence of the coat he'd been wearing earlier. Horror suddenly filled him and he spun around searching the room, knowing full well he'd taken the coat off of Yugi before he'd put him to bed. He spotted the discarded pile of clothes and dove for it. He dug through Yugi's filthy clothes, but none of the simplistic materials spoke of the elegant coat Seto had fitted just for him. Panicking, he bolted from the room and sprinted down stairs, checking the hallways and stairs s he passed by, in case it dropped when Yami carried him upstairs.

When his search proved unsuccessful, he bolted outside. He grabbed the porch light and held it as close to the ground as he could, cursing the darkness, in case it blended with the midnight material. Still nothing. The path and front yard proved equally unsuccessful. He traced his steps back to where Phantom had stopped and dropped to his knees and checked under the steps, the porch and ran his nails across the ground. His filthy fingers grabbed his hair and squeezed to stall his hyperventilated breathing. His mind scrambled to retrace his steps. He _knew_ Yugi has been bundled in the coat when he'd carried him down. Yugi had been wearing it the entire trip back. It didn't fall off on the way inside or on the way upstairs, or when he lay Yugi down on the coach and went to get his medicine in case he needed it, while Atem stripped him of his wet, dirty clothing and wrapped him in a thick blanket.

Realization hit Yami like a slap. He scrambled to his feet, barely remembering to grab the lamp on his way back in and burst back inside and rushed into the family room. Yugi's clothes had been brought upstairs but surely Atem would think the coat too expensive to be theirs and left it where it was. At least he hoped.

"Looking for something?" The humor and assertion in that voice froze Yami in the doorway. He spun around and caught his brother standing at the foot of the stairs, one arm on his hip and the other held in front of him with an all too familiar garment draped over his arm. He stood proud and certain, his smile pulled in a humorous grin and his eyes flickering different shades of red hiding the wave of emotions he kept perfectly controlled. He looked the perfect reflection of the old regal Atem Yami had loved and admired growing up that it was impossible to imagine him with his face wet with tears, his hair disheveled and his eyes wild with rage and madness. But all Yami could focus on was the black coat. Seto's coat.

"Please give that back to me, Atem," Yami choked not caring how pathetic the plea sounded.

Atem surrendered it without a fuss. Yami clutched it to his chest like a precious child.

"Where did you get that coat, Yami?" Atem asked in an even tone. "It's too expensive to be from town and the embroidery's not from around here. And that necklace too, I've never seen that before." He gestured to his own neck.

Yami subconsciously clenched the gold and red pendant in his palm and cursed his own stupidity. Of course, in the confusion, he'd forgotten how perceptive his older sibling was. Even with all that had happened, only Atem would notice Yami coming home dressed like a noble and perfectly healthy when the last time he'd seen him he was a prisoner to what he believed a monster.

Yami bowed his head to the side and didn't answer.

"What happened at that castle, Yami?" Atem asked with hard eyes. "How did you escape that monster's tower?"

"He's not a monster!" Yami snapped instinctively, but immediately regretted it when Atem stepped back, his reaction one of confusion and shock. He quickly gained control of himself and answered. "Look, Atem, can we please talk about this tomorrow? After Yugi wakes up. I…I just can't talk about this now." He kept his voice as steady as he could, if only to keep himself from sounding like a lovesick patient.

"Yami," Atem's voice was low with warning but laced with concern.

"I promise, Atem," Yami said, clutching the coat tighter. "Just wait until Yugi wakes up, then I promise I'll tell you both everything."

Despite the reluctance evident in every inch of his being, Atem agreed.

* * *

Atem had proven good on his word when the two oldest Mouto brothers found themselves a week later nursing their youngest sibling back to health. The doctor had arrived first thing the following morning and confirmed that Yugi's ailment had not affected him as his brothers had feared. That his fever was the result of a strange illness that he had contracted during his stay in the woods and that it would take him longer to recover from it than normal. The words were proven true when, after a week of bed rest, Yugi still hadn't awakened from his sleep, though his fever lowered bit by bit each day. Yami and Atem had decided to take turns watching him, which Yami was perfectly fine with.

Despite himself, Atem had kept his word and not questioned Yami on his stay during the five months he'd stayed at the manor, but he had made it clear he expected Yami's answer the moment Yugi was awake enough to listen. The promise, however, hadn't stopped him from trying at every chance he got. Atem had met Yami's nervous and almost guilty behavior with concerned looks, even trusting smiles and sometimes demanding glares, but Yami had remained silent, unsure where to begin. He wasn't even sure how to explain what had happened to himself.

The entire time Yami had stayed by Yugi's side he felt like he was fading in and out of a dream, and more than once he questioned if his stay at the Dragon's enchanted castle had itself been a dream. But the gold and ruby pendant around his neck and the black coat he hadn't removed since his return home had proven that his dream was real, and that the Dragon King of his dreams was a real man and not a figment of a perfect lover his lonely heart had conjured.

Seto loved him. Truly loved him. Of that, Yami had no doubt.

But now the question was did Yami love him? The obvious answer was yes, but Yami knew it was much deeper than that. Did he truly love Seto? He'd loved him enough to make love with him. Enough to want to break his curse against all odds. Enough to want to stay with him. He couldn't deny the vibrant life of the castle delighted him, even if staying with Seto meant he would never truly be able to travel to all the exotic places he adored and missed in his youth. Seto couldn't leave the castle after all. But did Yami love Seto that much? Enough to give up his dream? He certainly loved Seto enough to consider it.

Strange. He'd always imagined his dream of traveling with his family, but now that he really thought about it and watched Yugi's slumbering face, he realized he was the only one who truly wanted to leave Hawkin's Hallow. Atem had always been content in Hawkin's Hallow. He was just like their mother, he was happy as long as he could paint. The occasional art fair outside of town or in the nearby cities was enough for him.

Yugi was young and adventurous, Yami thought as he pulled the covers up to Yugi's shoulder. As long as Yugi could have fun and enjoy life he'd be happy. An enormous castle with a huge yard full of woods and hills and gardens, and a house full of fun-loving and kind-hearted servants who would no doubt adore him, four of whom were young boys who loved playing games and could show him all the entertainments of the castle, would be pure heaven for Yugi Mouto.

Then came the question: would his brothers ever forgive the Dragon King? Seto _had_ technically kidnapped him and locked his brothers in a tower. But Seto had apologized for that and made it more than clear that he regretted that decision and bore the bulk of Yami's anger as a result. He had little doubt Seto would apologize to his siblings. He _did_ say he'd accept their rage for his mistake, but that still didn't mean Yugi and Atem would accept him. Yugi might, simply because it wasn't in his nature to hold grudged or hate, but it didn't mean Yugi would accept him, or even like him. Despite his sweetness, when angered Yugi was a force to be reckoned with. Atem on the other hand was another matter entirely. And exactly why he had put off telling him what had happened during his captor for so long. As mature as Atem was, he was in every inch the protective sibling and even if by some miracle he accepted Seto and Yami's relationship—dragon and all—Yami wasn't naïve enough to hope Atem would do anything more than tolerate the dragon.

Yami expelled a heavy sigh and placed his head on the tips of his fingers and braced his elbows on Yugi's bed, in hopes of soothing his headache. Why did his life have to be so complicated? Why did he have to choose one or the other? Why couldn't he have both without the complications and distress that it was married to?

He heaved another heavy sigh, but it caught in his throat when he felt the blankets shift. Ready with alert, Yami turned his attention to Yugi. His little body shifted under the heavy blankets and his face scrunched just before his eyes fluttered open revealing pale violet eyes clouded with the haze of semi-consciousness. Yugi blinked a few times and cutely rubbed his eyes then shifted his weight into a sitting position. When his vision cleared he vaguely made out the image of Yami smiling brightly at him.

"Atem! Yugi's awake!" Yami called, cheering.

Yugi gasped. "Yami…" he breathed out, testing himself in case he was still dreaming. He pinched himself and shook his head to clear his mind, determined to make sure this was real and not some cruel apprehension. "Yami? Is that really you?"

Yami sat down on the side of Yugi's best and pulled his little brother into a hug. "Yeah, aibou, it's me."

"Oh, Yami!" Yugi threw himself into the boys arms and hugged him so tight Yami found it hard to breathe, but didn't have the heart to tell Yugi to stop. "Oh Yami, I missed you so much," Yugi said with teary eyes.

"I missed you too," Yami nodded.

"But I don't understand," Yugi let go and maneuvered himself so he was sitting on his knees. "How did you escape that castle? That monster locked you in a tower?"

Yami flinched when Yugi called Seto a monster. He opened his mouth to answer, but was cut off by Atem's smooth, oily voice.

"Good question." Atem stood in the doorway with his arms crossed and an interrogating gleam in his eyes that dared Yami to keep his secret. "How did you escape the monster, Yami?"

Atem's tone held no room for argument, but Yami was well accustomed to dealing with him. He simply snorted and gently laid Yugi back in the bed and crossed his ankle over his opposite knee. "_First_ of all, he's not a monster. He's a dragon—well, half of one, anyway. And second, his name's not dragon either. It's Seto. Seto Kaiba," Yami finished. He hadn't failed to notice Atem flinch at his tone. Whether it was from anger or annoyance at the scolding, or sheer bewilderment, Yami couldn't tell.

Atem expelled a loud sigh and ran a hand though his hair pushing back his goldenrod bangs. "Yami, giving him a name doesn't change what he is."

"No, I suppose it doesn't," Yami smiled. Atem had used _him_ not _it_. That was at least some progress. "But it _does_ remind you that he's still a person capable of thoughts and feelings. Secondly," Yami continued. "I did _not _escape; Seto said I could leave of my own free will."

"He _let_ you go?" Atem writhed. "That monster locked all three of us in a tower?"

"Did you not hear what I just said?" Yami countered and fixed his brother with a look that brooked no argument. "I was never a prisoner, Atem, even when Seto and I hated each other. I had my own living arrangements; the staff were incredibly kind to me and I enjoyed their company as much as they enjoyed mine. I was free to explore the castle and the grounds as I pleased. And Seto freed me long before this, so he did not _let_ me leave," Yami bit his lip and bowed his head, sadly. "I left of my own free will."

"But I don't understand," Yugi repositioned himself so he was leaning closer to Yami, curiously. "If you could leave whenever you wanted, why didn't you?" he demanded, more curious than upset.

Yami's voice and expression softened. "Well, at first I wanted to keep my debt, but after a while I really enjoyed staying there. As I said, I never felt like a prisoner. The staff were wonderful, the servants and I always found something fun to do, the seamstress had a field day dressing me up and Seto, once he deflated his ego and I got through that thick skull of his," Yami chuckled, "is very good company."

"We're talking about the same bastard who locked Yugi and I up, kidnapped you, and dragged us away from you, right?"Atem repeated through clenched teeth.

"Well, I _did_ choose to stay,' Yami corrected. "But yes, and I gave him hell for that, it was one of the reasons we did nothing but fight the first three weeks I was there," Yami said firmly, resisting the urge to smirk when Atem referred to Seto as a bastard rather than a dragon or monster. At least it was some improvement. "He did apologize to me and he promised to apologize to you both if I brought you to the castle. He is sorry, by the way, and said he would accept your rage until you felt he'd earned your forgiveness. In his defense though, you hurt his feelings when you screamed at him and assumed he was dangerous, Atem, pissed him off, since everyone did, even though he did nothing wrong. Kind of like how you always through a tantrum whenever someone called you a demon child, remember?"

Atem visibly flinched in ager at the comment. Whether it was from being compared to the Dragon he clearly disliked, or because he'd brought up old scars, Yami didn't know. More likely it was both. Nonetheless, he smirked knowing he got his point across.

When the family had settled permanently in Hawkin's Hallow, the Mouto boy's exotic looks had been the talk of the town for weeks. Atem, with his vivid ruby eyes, calm demeanor and temper, too much so for a child, had quickly earned him the reputation of being "an evil demon child" and the children of the town mocked him as such. The fits he'd thrown whenever someone called him "a red-eyed demon child", which would quickly escalate into violence, finally scarred the local bullies into finding a weaker victim. However, while the teasing stopped, the cold glares, snickers and silent harassment had caused him to become withdrawn and retreat into their grandparents shop and his mother's old studio as an outlet. Hawkin's Hallow had never been kind to the eccentric Moutos for very long.

Unable to fathom a snappy comeback, that wouldn't sound childish the moment it left his throat, Atem regally plopped down on Yugi's bed and pulled his face into the closest expression he could to a pout without showing defeat.

Yugi rolled his eyes after growing dizzy having to dart back and forth between the two. He turned back to Yami. "So he was nice to you? He didn't hurt you or anything?" Skepticism laced his mumbling and his fingers intertwined nervously in the bed sheets.

Yami smiled and shook his head, gently stroking Yugi's hand. "No Yugi, he was very kind to me. We still argued often, but we got along very well once we got to know each other. He's not a bad person. I think he was only lonely. So lonely, he pushed everyone away from him in self-defense."

"You seem to know a lot about him, Yami," Yugi noted.

"Well, as I figured I would be staying there, I wanted to get to know my host. He had very severe trust issues, so I had to make the first step and earn his trust first, but we did grow close over the course of my stay."

"How close?" Yugi asked, curious.

Yami flushed unsure how to answer, but regained composure enough to say, "Quite close."

"But, Yami, if you liked it there so much, why did you leave?" Yugi shook his head suddenly overcome with guilt as if he already knew the answer.

"Because I missed you two," Yami smiled confirming Yugi's worst fears. "Yes, I was happy, but I wanted you two to be there with me. Seto and I were talking about it before I left, but I knew you both needed me so Phantom and I left to find you. I promised to return, but I won't without you two. I know it might sound crazy, but…I know you'll both love it as much as I do. The staff are wonderful and no one treats you like being different is a crime. They're a rather rowdy bunch themselves, but it's what makes the place so wonderful. It's like home." Yami spoke so passionately and his smile was so bright that Yugi almost cried.

He had felt so guilty for leaving Yami behind, for having him take his and Atem's place and became so determined to free him from such a fate, that it hadn't even occurred to him that Yami might not want to be freed. That all his fears while at the time were justified and he didn't really like the King when he first met him, the servants Yami spoke of _had _been very nice to Atem and him when they first arrived. He still didn't like the Dragon King very much, but Yami seemed to know him very well and if Yami was willing to trust him then that was enough to Yugi to at least try.

"Well, I don't know about this Dragon King…" A small smile formed on his lips. "But I think I can give it a chance if you say it's okay." He couldn't remember the last time he saw Yami smile like that, but it made him happy that he was. He loved his brother and if Yami was happy, then he would be happy too. And the castle, what he saw of it, was very nice. It would be fun to explore it. And Yami said the staff there were very kind, if they were like the servants he met there then it must be true. Suddenly, Yugi felt giddy inside and started giggling. It was like a new adventure.

Atem on the other hand seemed less than enthusiastic. He had forced himself to remain silent while Yami spoke, but only long enough to let Yami finish. The more he listened, the more his shock increased. He hadn't failed to miss the smile on Yami's face. Or the way he blushed when Yugi asked how close he and the Dragon King were, something Yami rarely did. It wasn't an angry fluster either, or embarrassment, but an honest, sentimental blush. And when he spoke of his time at the castle, with the Dragon King specifically, there was a sort of glow around him, only visible to someone who knew it was there. It filled Atem with pure and absolute dread.

"Atem?" The eldest Mouto broke from his musings. His brothers stared at him confused and poised.

"What do you say, Temie?" Yugi asked. "We could stay for a little while?"

Atem met Yugi and Yami's smiles with a grin and calm eyes. "I do have a question for you, Yami?"

Yami nodded. "What is it?"

"Why do you call him, Seto?" Atem asked. His voice blunt.

Yami's mouth fell agape as his jaw slackened like he'd been suddenly drenched in cold water while in a relaxing sleep. "I don't understand?" he gasped out, his voice all breath.

"The Dragon King's name is Seto Kaiba, right?" Atem explained. "Yet you don't call him Kaiba or Dragon King, you only call him Seto. Why?"

Yami paused for a moment gathering his thought, which Atem noticed long before Yami tried to cover it up.

"I told you, we're friends," Yami answered. The finality in his tone was all the proof Atem needed.

"Are you?" he pressured. "Is that all?" His eyes narrowed, striking the same expression their father gave them when they were caught in the act of misbehaving, as if daring them to lie.

Knowing lying would be pointless, Yami took in a sharp breath through his nose and confessed. "No, it isn't."

"What aren't you telling us, Yami?" Atem demanded. The conversation caused Yugi to grab Yami's arm in concern.

"Nothing bad," Yami assured them. "Let me tell you from the beginning…" He bit his lip knowing no matter how he told the story; the end result would be the same.

* * *

"He's your lover!" Atem screeched for the fifth time in less than an hour. The young man stomped around the room and grabbed his hair as if to rip chunks of it from his skull. "That…that…ugh! I can't speak correctly!"

Yami sat still and absorbed the blow, sparing a stray glance to Yugi who hadn't said a single word since Yami finished his story. The boy just sat still and looked at his hands, his eyes vacant and a small frown that betrayed no emotion set in his expression, his hands folded perfectly in his lap. Yami took the silence as a bad sign. Even though he expected the outcome, he secretly hoped once they calmed down they'd understand.

He'd gone into great detail about his stay in the castle. Detailing the first time he and Seto met, their spat when he freed him from the tower, his determination not to show the King kindness after separating him from his family. How his temper and actions unwittingly led him to discover the secret about Seto's family and the origin of his guilt, pain and his isolation. How he had wandered into Seto's room and narrowly escaped. It had surprised his brothers a great deal that Yami decided to return to the castle, but he'd already explained how he was determined to pay his debt and accept his own fault in the situation. Yugi had nearly burst into tears when Yami explained his encounters with the strange man and his near-death experience with the monsters, and when he fell through the ice and detailed how Seto had saved him—how they saved each other. How it led to them opening up to one another. How they managed to form a friendship that quickly grew into something more though they decided to take it slow. Everything he explained, up to the ball Seto had hosted just for him. Even Atem admitted it was a nice gesture.

Of course, neither of his brothers had been upset with him and Yami made it perfectly clear that nothing had been forced upon him. That he was not some helpless victim tricked into believing obedience would earn his capture's kindness, quite the opposite and hadn't failed to include his own outburst during their stay. He even included how he and Seto discussed the possibility of the boys staying at the castle if they chose; if only to assure them that their brother was safe and happy. It wasn't until Yami confessed that the night Seto freed him, the night he willingly chose to stay with the Dragon King that the two of them had become lovers, that they, well, Atem, really got upset.

Finally Atem expelled a loud, angry breath and plopped down in an old rocking chair in the corner and slouched back. His fingers massaged his aching temples. After what felt like hours of silence, he asked "How long?"

Yami wanted to scream. Instead he replied "Only a few days before I left."

Atem dropped his head in his hands and groaned, frustrated.

"Don't act like that, Atem," Yami snapped angrily.

Atem rose his head. "Like what?"

"Like I'm some naïve child, that's what. Do you know how horrible I felt when I started enjoying myself just because I knew you and Yugi were scared and worrying about me? I didn't _mean _for this happen, but it did and I don't regret it. I don't," Yami said firmly, his voice fierce with so much passion, Atem was taken aback by it. He opened his mouth to speak, but was silenced by another question.

"Do you love him?" Atem and Yami both turned to Yugi, shocked the young boy asked such a blunt question. Yugi met their stunned expressions with firm, narrowed eyed, focused on Yami, demanding nothing but true honesty. "Do you love him, Yami?"

Yami stopped for a moment. When Anzu had asked him that question many months ago, he'd been unsure how to answer but now…so much had changed. So much was different. But, just as before, he knew the answer. "Yes, I do." It felt good to admit it. Good and terrifying all at once, like an enormous weight had been lifted from his shoulders. But at the same time it was like grasping the universe between your fingers: the sheer excitement and terror of such power was almost overwhelming. "I really do. It's real love."

At that, Yugi smiled.

"How do you know it's real?" Atem challenged, standing up and towering over his younger brother warningly. His next words sent a shrill of horror up Yami's spine. "How do you know he isn't just using you?"

"THAT'S A LIE!" a high-pitched screech of rage made all three boys jump and whirl around. Slouched across the chair, where Yami had laid his coat, the pocket started to shake and rattle, until the whole garment fell to the ground. The music box fell from Yami's pocket and rolled out, just as a tiny red and gold dragonroid plopped onto the floor.

"Syrus!" Yami jumped.

The dragonroid didn't respond to his name. Instead it stood up, bolted across the room and climbed up Yugi's bedpost. One he reached the top, he puffed out his chest with all his pride and ranted "Of course, Kaiba loved Yami! He's been so much happier since Yami entered his life: he's healthier, he smiled, he laughs and he actually eats! Do you know what that's like for someone who's done nothing but lock himself in his despair? It broke his heart to let Yami go, but he did it anyway, because he knew you and Yugi needed him!" Syrus scolded pointing an accusing finger at the eldest Mouto who had been shocked into silence. "Kaiba knows how important you are to him, so even though it devastated him, he told Yami to go after you! Because he loves him, how dare you insult my Master!"

The little dragon ran out of breath before he ran out of words to say, but his tiny body finally gave out on him and he stopped. Just before he slipped, Yami dove to catch him.

"Syrus? How are you here?" Yami asked baffled. "I thought you couldn't leave the castle grounds?"

Syrus panted. "I'm not supposed to. I can't maintain any other form but this one. Technically, Hawkin's Hallow is still part of the Kaiba family's original kingdom, so I'm alright. If I were to venture beyond this town though, I'd probably become so weak that I'd die."

Yugi and Yami's eyes both widened, but Syrus soothed their fears. "Don't worry I'm alright. I've been asleep, restoring energy. I'll be fine."

"I remember you," Yugi's eyes lit up. "You're one of the creatures who helped Atem and me at the castle."

Syrus nodded then his eyes lit with terror. "Yami, that's why I'm here, I have to tell you something, you have to come back to castle right away,"

"Don't worry, Syrus. I always planned on returning once things here are settled and-"

"No!" Syrus cut him off fiercely, tears welling in his large orange eyes. "You have to come back now! Right now or Master will—" His voice stopped. His mouth moved and his tiny claws flew to his throat as though talking pained him.

"Syrus," Yami held him close. "Are you alright?"

"Mr. Syrus?" Yugi asked his heart ached as he watched the tiny creature try to speak.

"Master…curse…deadline…" Syrus choked out until bursting into tears.

"What is it, Syrus?" Yami begged.

"Stop pressuring him, you idiots!" Atem scolded. "Can't you see he _can't_ talk about it?"

Yami and blinked, then turned to the boy. "Syrus, are trying to tell me about the curse?" Yami asked. Syrus nodded. "And you can't talk to me about it because the curse doesn't let you?" Again Syrus nodded. Yami's heart sank. "Will something bad happen to Seto if I don't break the curse?" Syrus nodded his head seriously, confirming Yami's worse fears. "When does the curse end?" Yami begged.

"It…" Syrus paused, his mind scrambling for a loophole to the curse. "If it's not broken on the first day of the month that winter dies, something terrible with happen," he gasped out and almost cheered when none of the words caused him any pain.

"The month that winter dies?" Yami's mind scrambled to solve the riddle.

"Is it March?" Atem asked causing three sets of eyes to turn to him. "The vernal equinox is March 21, the first day of spring, so technically it's the month that Winter dies, right?"

Syrus' eyes lit up and he nodded gleefully.

"So then the first day of the month is…" Yami calculated then gasped in sheer horror. "Oh no!" he scrambled from the bed and ran down the stairs, Syrus clenched in his hand. Atem and Yugi called after him to no avail. Yugi jumped from the bed and ran after him, Atem not far behind. They found Yami in the kitchen scrambling around the room, tearing up anything in his path. "Damn it, what day is it!" He grabbed his head screaming. "How long have I been here, one week two weeks? God what day did I leave the castle? Is it a leap year? Oh please God!"

"Yami!" Atem called, grabbing his younger brother and shaking him violently until he calmed down. "Relax, look!" he spun Atem around and pointed to the window. The evening sun was still in the sky but sunset was not far behind.

"Check the wall calendar, Yugi?" he ordered. "What does it say?"

"It's the 28th of February," Yugi answered.

Yami nearly collapsed from relief. "Thank God, there's still time. I have to get back there? I have to break the curse."

"Have you lost your mind?" Atem looked at Yami like he'd changed colors. "Do you even know how to break the curse?"

"I know it takes the Dragon King's key," Yami answered. "What that is I don't know."

"Yami," Syrus screeched. "Just tell the King you—" he paused again and took a breath. "Tell Seto how he makes you feel. Tell him that. Just tell him that."

Yami blinked, but put it aside for now, and perched Syrus on his shoulder then turned to his brothers. "I'm sorry, you guys, but I have to go back! I have to break the curse! I have to!"

"You're mad, Yami!" Atem scolded.

"I know I am," Yami chuckled. "But people do mad things for the ones they love, don't they?"

Atem moved to protest but Yugi stepped forward. "I think Yami should go." He met his older brother's shocked faces with a bright smile. "Yami's not foolish enough to give his heart to someone who isn't truthful. And if Mr. Kaiba is special enough to earn Yami's love then it must be true, right?" he asked but it wasn't a question. "I don't really know Mr. Kaiba except from when he locked us up," Yugi admitted with aggravation. "But mom and dad always said don't judge people until you get to know them. I want Yami to be happy and it sounds like Mr. Kaiba makes him happy." Yugi smiled. "So I say he goes, but," Yugi rose his finger. His posture changed to one of confidence despite his small size. "First, Atem and I have to make sure he deserves you, Yami. Deal?"

Yami didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so he did both and hugged Yugi tight. "Deal!" he cheered. "Thank you, Yugi." He let Yugi go and turned to Atem with a smile. "Well?"

Atem's expression looked pinched like he was fighting himself. He finally said "Against every fiber of common sense and good judgment that I have…" He clenched and unclenched his fists. "Is this real, Yami? Like really real, not some crush or a passing fling? Because if you really love him then, I can't make any promises to do more than tolerate it at this point since I despise that dragon, but if he really makes you happy and you really love him and he truly loves you then I…" Atem swallowed hard and chocked out, "I guess I can give him a try." Yugi and Yami both gasped in surprise. "What?" Atem snapped, offended. "I want you to be happy too, you know?"

"Thank you!" Yami hugged his older brother so tightly the elder almost fell over.

"But leave Syrus here, otherwise Yugi and I will get lost again," Atem compromised, prying Yami off him.

"Me?" Syrus point to himself.

"Why?" Yami asked.

"You didn't think I was going to let you go back to that castle alone did you?" Atem flashed a curled grin. "You can take Phantom and Yugi and I will catch up, I just want Syrus to stay so we don't get lost again."

"Oh please do, Syrus," Yugi begged. "Atem's sense of direction is horrible! Even Phantom got lost last time!"

"Watch it!" Atem snapped.

"Thank you both!" Yami hugged them one last time and gave Syrus to Yugi.

"Don't worry, Yami," the tiny dragon stood proudly on Yugi's shoulder. "I'll watch over them, you just go take care of Master Seto."

Yami nodded, grabbed his coat off the hook and rushed for the door. He flung it open planning to grab Phantom and run, but was stopped when a man in a wine colored suit blocked his path. He blinked his single eye in surprise, for the other was hidden beneath a curtain of long silver hair, so straight and shiny it looked fake. His arm positioned in mid-knock.

He pulled his hands together and smiled childishly. "Ah, Yami-boy, so glad to see you've retuned safe and sound," the man spoke like a child: excited and happy, but something laced in it sent a shiver down Yami's spine. "You and your brothers have given this town quite a stir these last few months."

"Excuse me, but who are and what are you doing at my house?" Yami asked, stunned.

The man's expression changed in an instant. The brightness in his eye turned wicked and cruel. His smile turned sinister, even the gentleness of his features suddenly turned sharp. "I am Pegasus Crawford, the child broker, and due to the inability of his current guardian to take care of him, I've come for Yugi Mouto."

* * *

(And the Queen sits on her thronw sipping wine and relishing in the cries and screams of her worshippers with the Kuribohs passed out and earning a well-deserved sleep in her lap and on her dress) Lord know my poor babies need it.

And the Queen defends her title.

As always, read, review, critique, comment, ask questions, go nuts, flames will be ignored unless they have a logical reason to back up their claims and any and all threats will be given to Lavender (points to waving purple Kuriboh: be warned she was never the same after i let the Magician of Black Chaos babysit her, now she has a masty habit of blowing up people she doesn;t like (Lavender smiles the perfect picture of innocence holding two bombs behind her back)

SPECIAL NOTE PLEASE READ: There is a poll on my page for my newest youtube video so PLEASE VOTE! If you've read my page you know the "new, better" youtube has become my worst enemy but regardless i WILL continue to make and post videos, I'll be DAMNED if i let a bunch of copyright snobs, stop me! so again PLEASE VOTE! You can vote for a max of two and i'd really appreciate it! (also is any of you know of some good ankishipping music videos (aka JadenxSy) please send them my way...all my favorites got deleted before i could copy them.


	29. Chapter 28: The Faction

And with that this story has reached 500 REVIEWS! AAAAAAHHHH! I'm Shocked and Ecstatic! I mean that's a new record for me and the story's not even done yet! WOOHOO!

The next chapter typed, betas and posted less than two days after chapter 27, I'm just as shocked as all of you, but to be honest this chapter just literally came to me, the second i sat down it was so easy to do, it all just flowed, then again since i'd been waiting forever to write this chapter, i guess my subconscious just new exactly what to do.

But anyway i was gonna wait a while to post this but i figured after the brutal wait, you guys deserved another update. No promises for the rest of them though. This story still has about six chapters left in a range of sizes so no promises on how long it will take to get them up. I wanna get a few more done but I have to finish my college work first. So hopefully once i get that out of the way and things slow down this and my other stories will be back to their regular one-chap a week updates. Cross your fingers ^-^

Disclaimer: I own nothing. You know the rest.

Dedications: as always to my fans for their wonderful support and comments ^-^

AS always, read, review, critique, comment, ask questions, and flames (without a good argument and reason) will be used to fire Lavender's bombs (points to purple Kuriboh sitting on a TNT box)

* * *

Chapter 28: The Faction

Shocked would've been an understatement. Rage was not nearly enough to describe what he was experiencing. At the man's words, Yami swore he felt his heart stop beating and the resulting silence was more deafening than a scream. His knuckles clenched the wood of the door so tightly that he felt it splinter beneath his nails. His teeth clenched so tightly that they ground together and he visibly shook.

"Get out," he retorted, his voice dangerously low.

Pegasus arched a brow in confusion.

"I said Get out!" Yami screamed with such force it would've brought the strongest of warriors to their knees. "Get off my property! Leave and never come back!" He moved to shove the man outside, halfway stepping onto the front porch as he did so. He moved to go back inside when Pegasus snatched his arm like a trap ensnaring a rat.

"I'm afraid you misunderstand my intentions, Yami-boy," the man smiled, but his voice was crooked and twisted. "It is my job in this town to see that the children have someone fit to take care of them, emotionally, financially and _mentally_." The last word rolled off his tongue with a subtext. "And I'm afraid that all the stress of losing your family, your disappearance, keeping a business and caring for a young man has just become… too much for your brother, shall we say?"

Yami's eyes widened with horror then rage. He shoved the man off him and screeched "My brother is not crazy, you madman!" Yami exploded.

"Yami, what's going on?" Atem asked stepping outside, Yugi not far behind him. Atem's eyes widened in confused horror then narrowed at the unexpected surprise on their doorstep and he immediately understood Yami's rage. Pegasus Crawford, the owner of the local orphanage, who earned the name the Child Broker, was standing on their steps. Behind him at least half the town were standing carrying lanterns or torches for light, since the sun was setting fast. The unusual thing was many of them wore nice clothes as if they were going to church or attending a wedding party. At the head stood none other than Rebecca Hawkins in an expensive white dress, her hair done in two pigtails tied with white flowers and a large grin on her face. Miho stood meekly beside her in the costume of a Maid of Honour.

"What the hell is going on here, Rebecca?" Atem demanded. He felt Yugi pressing against him to get a better look, but raised an arm to force him back inside. "Yugi, stay inside."

"I'm afraid Yugi is no longer in your custody, Atem Mouto," Pegasus said. "Your mental state has rendered you unable to see to his health. Especially since the poor thing has been ill himself, I have been told."

"Atem is _not_ crazy!" Yami protested fiercely.

"He was ranting like a lunatic!" One of Rebecca's guards stepped forward. "They both were, screaming for the Duchess in the middle of night about how you'd been kidnapped by a dragon!"

Horror and guilt froze Yami to his core. Had his brothers truly worried about him that much that they would do the unthinkable—go to their former friend for aid? _Of course they would. _ Yami wanted to strangle himself. _I'd do the same thing in a heartbeat._ And now it seemed that the very love the brothers shared had come back to be their undoing.

Already the town began to whisper and murmur among themselves. Saying things like how Atem had gone all across town raving about the Dragon. Leaving Yugi alone for long periods of time. How even the Librarian and his wife feared for his safety and Yami growled when he noticed Mahado and Mana weren't among the crowd. He guessed they were probably either confined to their home on the Duchess' order or hadn't been informed of what was going on.

Yami opened his mouth to protest but Atem beat him to it. "I am perfectly sane as you can see. Yes, I was troubled due to my brother's disappearance, but he's back now and safe, and even then I had not lost an ounce of my sanity. And as for Yugi's health he simply caught a fever from the cold, but nothing threatening."

"Regardless, the city has agreed that the task of raising a growing boy is too much for you two," Pegasus snapped, as if both brothers were simply throwing a tantrum. "Yugi will be deemed a ward of the state until he is of age, now please do what is best for him and hand him over to me, or I will be forced to take him."

"NO!" Yugi screamed immediately and wrapped his arms around Yami's waist from behind. "Don't let them take me!"

Yami wrapped his arms around Yugi and Atem stroked his hair. Yugi was visibly shaking. The same terror he felt when their parents and grandfather had died returned in full force now, nearly making him weep.

"You monsters," Atem hollered. "He's already lost everyone else, are you heartless enough to separate him from Yami and I now too? His family? We're the only family he has!" he screamed witch such passion and force that several people of the town changed their expressions, as if contemplating the true nature of their actions.

"Family is not always what is best," Pegasus sneered. "Yes, you may be his family, but you are both barely adults yourselves. And what of you, Atem? Why are you not yet married with your own family? Can you even afford a family? Your business is hardly bustling and what profit do you boys expect to get from your artistry, does it support you? No, and what of your brother's ailment? You may know how to treat it, but why is not yet cured? Surely you are not naïve enough to think it would grow out on its own? And I am not completely convinced of your mental state either, Atem. You say it was caused from stress? What is to stop it from happening again? What if instead of just seeing things, you end up hurting someone, like your brothers?"

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Yugi screamed shaking his head back and forth and covered his hears. "Please, someone make him stop!"

"That's enough!" Yami screamed, holding Yugi close to him. "You people have caused enough trouble leave now!"

"No one is going anywhere unless you surrender Yugi, he's a ward of the state now, so give him to me so I can see he's given a structural environment, or we will take him by force,"

"Over my dead body!" Atem and Yami both said in union.

"May I make a suggestion, Mr. Crawford?" Rebecca stepped forward, the ends of her dress held daintily in her hands while she walked up the steps. The townspeople gathered closer around her. Only Miho stayed in place, her gazed fixed on the ground and her frown narrowed in regret.

Pegasus grinned when she approached. When the two looked at one another, they sported equal expressions. Like actors in a dance knowing exactly when to submit to the other in preparation for the next act. Horrified bewilderment shocked Yami to his core.

"You," he snarled. "I never thought even _you_ would sink this low!"

"Whatever you're planning, Rebecca, it won't work," Atem stepped forward, protectively. "Yami will never marry you, I forbid it!"

Rebecca glared at him. "I wasn't asking you." Her voice was cold, but then her smile curled into a curved grin. "But perhaps you will both reconsider once you hear my offer." When neither boy said nothing, but continued to glare at her, she continued. "I know neither of you care for honour, nor your own names. But I know full well you care very much for that of your family and you have to know that your questionable actions these past few months have done quite a deal of damage on the Mouto's reputation, both living and deceased?"

Atem bristled with rage, Yugi hugged Yami tighter and Yami was torn between the desire to strangle the girl for insulting his family or punching her and Pegasus in the face.

"But you know our families were always close and this city knows it well. It was inevitable they would eventually join and I _am _a Duchess, and as such not just my husband but his family would be blessed with all the privileges and comforts my status and home provide. You would no longer need to burden yourselves with your work, you would have all the money and treasures you need. There is more than enough staff in my home to take care of Yugi, and highly respected doctors to treat him should he suddenly take ill again. And in such a comfortable environment I have little doubt Atem would never have to fear another attack as the one he experienced during your disappearance. He'll simply know that you are both safe and happy. You'd have the freedom to do as you wish within reason, of course," Rebecca spoke graciously, as if she were reciting a fairy tale and had come to the part where the evil had been vanquished and the dashing prince was now about to claim his bride. "And all it takes, Yami," she held out her hand, "Is one little question."

Yami's face twisted with disgust. "Never!" His voice was dangerously low, but loud enough that it echoed like a stone in a well.

Rebecca's entire expression dropped to one of sheer bewilderment, as if unable to fathom his answer. She'd been so sure he'd day 'yes'. Once he was backed into a corner, with no other alternatives and no other options, she'd been so certain there was simply no other option.

"What do you mean 'never'?" the Duchess screeched ignoring the rest of the town and the child broker behind her. "Do you not understand what it is I'm offering you? I'm willing to free you from your burden and give you everything! And yet you still deny me?"

"I will never marry you, Rebecca!" Yami said fiercely. "You can do whatever you want to me, but when you _dare_ attack my family, then the only thing you've ensured is that I will only _despise _you! I don't care what you offer, I don't want it!"

"So you'd rather have nothing then?" Rebecca interrogated. "You'd rather risk your brothers' safety, live a life of poverty and uncertainty? You'd rather have nothing at all than be my husband?"

"I'd rather be a monster's whore than your husband!" Yami retorted so sharply the Duchess retracted in horror.

"Enough!" the child broker hollered and moved to grab Yugi, but Atem and Yami both jumped to his defense.

"Hand him over now, or I'll charge you both with endangering a minor," the man threatened, no longer amused.

"How are they endangering me, when you're the one trying to kidnap me?" Yugi protested.

"Enough!" Pegasus took that moment of opportunity to snatch Yugi by his arm and pulled him away from Atem with such force he nearly knocked over Atem and Yami in the process.

"No! Let go of me!" Yugi screamed and cried, digging his heels into the ground and trying to pry the man's fingers off of him, but Pegasus was bigger and much stronger than him.

"Yugi!" Atem screamed and piled to his feet but Rebecca's guards grabbed him and pulled the boy back. He fought against their hands and struggled against them, but the combination of the both of them was too much for him. "Get your hands off me!" Atem protested, trying to attack the man, but their grabbed remained firm.

Yami remained on the ground, his mind scrambling for a solution. His eyes darted frantically between Atem who fought against his capture with all his might, yelling profanities and threats and Yugi who was screaming and crying and pleading to be saved.

"Yami…" He whirled around and saw Syrus hiding by the door in his tiny form, torn by his inability to help anyone. Desperate, Yami got to his feet and ran back inside.

"Let go of me! Let go!" Yugi screamed and sank his heels into the ground. He grabbed the carriage, fighting as Pegasus tried to drag him into it kicking and screaming. Atem had managed to subdue his attackers long enough to jump down the porch steps. He made a mad dash for the clearing but several more man tackled him to the ground. Even as he fought with all his might, others arrived to hold him back.

"Stop!" Yami screamed at the top of his lungs, running outside so fast he almost crashed into the banister, a beautiful blue and gold object glittered in his hand. "My brother's not crazy and I'll prove it!" He spoke with such terror and conviction as he wound the object in his hand that even Pegasus and Rebecca stopped and turned around.

"No, Yami!" Syrus protested grabbing and pulling on the hem of his pants with his tiny claws.

Yami held the music box close to his heart; tears fell from his lashes when he closed his eyes. "Forgive me, Seto," he whispered and held the box out in front of him. "Show me the Dragon King!"

The music box opened to reveal a tiny dancing dragon, playing the same sweet lullaby it played for him when he asked to see his siblings. Then it stopped, the music turned to a screech and lights erupted from the box and around Yami like a geyser. Multi-coloured mists danced in the air forming a hazy spiral of shapes and images, until a clear circular image was surrounded by wisps of smoke. The image of a tall, youthful man, strong and lean, with sharp points forming his face, chestnut hair and striking blue eyes, and the wings, hands, claws, feet, legs, fins, eyes and tail of a dragon.

The entire town gasped in awe and shock. Rebecca's expression transformed to one of stunned disbelief. The Dragon was real? Yami had been with him all this time?

Pegasus and the men had released both Atem and Yugi in their shock, causing the two to run to each other. Both of them were the only ones not enthralled by the image of the Dragon King, in a dark room surrounded by broken things and tattered curtains. They all watched the creature storm to his banister and release a terrifying mournful yell: the roar of a mighty dragon enraged, combined with the anguished scream of a sad man, until he finally collapsed to the ground, broken, alone and looking not the least bit frightening, but pitiful. It was a sight that broke Yami's heart into a thousand pieces.

So he hadn't been imagining it. He _had_ heard Seto that night.

"Is it dangerous?" someone had said.

In response, Yami ran into the crowd and shook his head. "_His _name is Seto, and no, he only looks frightening because of his powerful form. He's really just lonely because everyone is afraid of him. But he has a heart of gold. He'll deny that he does and he's arrogant and he has a temper, but it's only an act. He's actually very kind and very sweet, he treats everyone as his equal and he'll risk his life if he has to for others. He did it twice for me! Once when he saved me from a monster that tried to kill me and again when I fell in to a lake. He didn't leave my side until I was well again and even nursed me back to health. Does that sound like someone who's dangerous to you?" Yami protested. He hated having to reveal the details of his stay to a bunch of strangers, but it had to be done. He had to convince them that Seto wasn't a monster. Just a powerful being, lonely and scared and broken by something he couldn't face.

Whispers and coerces immediately began among the people. Questions. Curiosity. Ideas of what to do. What to even think. How to deal with the information they'd just been given. The only one absent in the confusion was Rebecca who glared at the object in Yami's hand with such disdain that, were it a rose, it would've wilted under her stare. _She _hadn't failed to miss the charm in Yami's voice. How fondly he spoke of the obviously monstrous creature before him. It was just as the Stranger had warned her. She hasn't believed him at first, refusing to belief such a creature could exist, but now that she knew that it was true and hearing proof of its evil right in front of her, she could no longer remain silent.

"If I didn't know any better, Yami, I'd say you had _feelings_ for this monster?" the Duchess challenged. Her words silenced the crowd immediately.

Yami glared at her closing the box and clutching it to his chest. "I'm afraid you're mistaken, Rebecca, you have it backwards. Seto is _not _a monster, but I do know someone who is, and she's standing right in front of me."

His retort was so sharp that Rebecca gasped at the insult.

"Do you see now citizens?" a new voice spoke over the crowd. A tall, lanky man in wine-colored merchant's clothes stepped forward. The crowd parted down the center to let him pass. A heavy cloak concealed his hair and face, but his mouth formed a concerned line. His well-kept mannerism, polished shoes and unmarked hands, save for the scratches on his wrists, boasted the status of a man who had no need for hard labour, at least with his hands he did not. He smirked once at Yami, revealing gray-green eyes. "It is exactly as I predicted, this poor child is so traumatized that he's convinced himself that nothing bad has happened to him. Lord only knows what other spells the beast has cast upon him to conceal his wicked deeds."

His voice was smooth, but oily, and thick with an accent. It sounded untrustworthy but it was covered up by a charismatic enthrall, like a demon disguised as an angel, offering a twisted alternative answer to one's prayers, and so familiar to Yami that he nearly screamed at him.

"You!" Yami snarled his voice low and dangerous. "I knew I recognized you! You're the bastard who attacked me in the woods the night Seto saved me! I'd recognize that lecherous voice anywhere."

The revelation earned a new wave if gossip among the crowd, but the man showed not a single flinch. "Dear boy, you misunderstand. I had no intention of harming you. I meant to _save_ you from the Dragon's clutches. Were you not running away from him that very night, and then going back? Already I could see him beginning to plant his seeds of deception inside you. I had to act fast before you were just another lost soul."

"That's a lie!" Yami protested. "You weren't trying to _save_ me, you only you wanted me for yourself!"

The stranger shook his head, his voice patient like speaking to a child throwing a tantrum. "Dear boy, you've been misinformed. You've been the Dragon's captive for at least five months. He's poisoned you into thinking that I am an enemy, when in reality I was a friend. How is it you came to be with the Dragon in the first place, hmm? Was it not to spare your family of his wrath? And yet you still defend him?"

"I chose to stay of my own free will," Yami retorted sharply. "I was never his prisoner; I was free to leave whenever I wished. I just chose not to and I forgave him for his mistakes."

"But what about the act that caused him to become what he is? Have you forgiven him for that? Had you not ever wondered _why _he was cursed into the form he now carries? He must've done something truly terrible to be damned to such a fate."

Yami saw red at that statement. "That's a lie!" Yami exploded. "Seto wasn't cursed for anything _he_ did wrong, but through the whim of a madman who sought to steal his kingdom from him. The only reason Seto was cursed was because he refused to surrender his kingdom and the freedom of his people to a monster. His only crime is his courage and his loyalty to his people."

"And why are you so quick to defend him?" the stranger continued to pester. "Of course the dragon would fabricate a story where he is the victim, but how do you know he is as innocent as he claims? Surely you must've slept during your incarceration? How do you not know it wasn't he, or one of his minions sent by him, who cursed your older brother mad and struck your younger brother ill, and spelled you in your sleep?"

"Because I know him!" Yami shook his head. "And not only would he never do that, but he couldn't anyway. Seto can't leave the castle and even if he could, he never left it at night."

"How do you know?" the stranger interrogated harshly.

"Because he was…" Yami paused realizing he's fallen into a trap, but swallowed his pride and answered. "He was with _me_ each night, all night."

The crowd gasped in horror at that statement. Their gossip and whispers had gone back and forth between the conversation, even Atem and Yugi had remained silent watching their brother argue so brilliantly, only for the man before him to counter each word. From the steps, the Duchess hissed in disgust and all but screamed in rage at the creature that had stolen her beautiful and prospective husband's love from her without even trying, when she herself had worked so hard for it and was never even given a second glance.

The stranger smirked then whirled around, his cape moving like the wings of a crow, and he raised his arms like a grand magician. He addressed the crowd as if they were the audience for his stage. "Listen to me good people of Hawkin's Hallow; I have hunted this creature all my life, as has my father before me. We sought justice for the treachery he and his kind befell upon my family and I'd hoped to slay him before his greed compelled him to destroy another family, but it seems I am too late. For not only has he caused these two lads to go ill, but he's tempted and raped this poor child into believing the dragon cares for him . It is just as I warned the Duchess."

"That's nonsense!" Yami protested but it was lost among the roar of disapproval coming from the crowd.

"It's true," Rebecca grudgingly admitted. "I didn't believe him at first, but how can I deny the truth now when it is right in front of me!"

Yami stared at her blankly. For a moment she looked like the old Rebecca, the one who so confidently and faithfully believed in her conviction that there was no arguing with her. He could see it so clearly in her eyes that he wanted to shake her, scream at her, hurt her before someone else did. "Don't tell me you actually _believe_ him, Rebecca? He's insane!"

She turned to him with a frown. The look she gave him was cold and pitiful. "He's corrupted your minds. That's the only explanation." Her tone held no room for argument. There was no questioning the conviction in her eyes, the belief that the stranger's words were nothing but the truth, and that she wanted to believe his lies, because they were the only thing that made any sense and promised her a happy future. "If the dragon dies, will they be cured?" Her voice was hopeful, pleading.

"Of course," the stranger nodded before returning to the crowd. "But good citizens we must act quickly. The dragon and his undead army are weakened. Now is the time to strike, before he descends his evil on this entire town!"

"No!" Yami screamed at the top of his lungs, but it was drowned out by the furious roars of the mob. They raised their torches and lanterns angrily. Gossip and shouts erupted like an explosion of violent words. Their threats, their anger, their words all exploded in Yami's ears like thousands of bomb striking his mind as if to drive him to the brink of insanity.

"Kill the monster!"

"We won't be safe until it's dead!"

"Its army will stalk us at night!"

"We must take action!"

"We can't let it wander free!"

"It'll destroy our village!"

"We must stop it!"

"Kill it! Kill it!"

Yami covered his ears and shook his head in a vain attempt to block out their cruel words. "Stop it! Stop it!" he begged, screaming but his pleas were lost among the chaos.

Atem and Yugi both rushed to his side and Atem barely caught Yami when he slumped forward under the force of the village's hatred. He could see Syrus peeking from the opened door, his large orange eyes wide with horror and fear.

Men began to draw weapons from their boots. Some wielded knives and daggers while others grabbed sharp tools. The women lit torches and surrendered their lanterns. One man threw his torch into a hayloft and it erupted with the flames of height, illuminating the hatred on their faces and turning their eyes bright and wild.

Even Rebecca, whose face had always reflected respect, calmness and intelligence, was twisted with a dark scowl of hatred. Her hair had come undone during the shuffle and her perfectly combed pigtails had fallen into ragged waves of bleach blond, the flowers and ribbons pooled at her feet. Her eyes burned with such a dark satisfaction and wildness that in her white dress made her look like a vengeful specter. Only Miho seemed immune to the hatred and shrank back in horror and fear.

"Come good people, let us slay the beast and bring peace back to this village!" the stranger announced. He smirked as he aroused the town's anger to its full peak and the mob began to cheer.

"No, I won't let you!" Yami screamed, rushing to his feet and trying to lunge at the stranger and Rebecca, but two men grabbed him and held him back forcibly, even as he struggled against them. His heated gaze fixed on the stranger who merely smirked at him, his eyes twitched with excitement and desire.

When Atem and Yugi rushed to his side they were likewise restrained. "Hurry and confine them," the stranger ordered, pointing to the underground cellar the Moutos used for storage. "They've been bewitched; we must confine them until the curse is lifted. We can't have them warn the creature."

The villagers obeyed like sheep and started dragging the struggling brothers, even as they fought, kicked, screamed, dug their heels in the dirt and clawed at their captors.

"Wait!" Rebecca sprang forward, her eyes fixed on the music box clenched tightly in Yami's hand. A permanent reminder of what had been stolen from her, she looked at with scorn. "We can use this to find the castle!" She reached for the box but Yami reacted like he'd been burned and lunged at her with such force that his captors momentarily lost their grip. The Stranger made a grab for him, but Yami spun around only to be knocked into by his earlier captors. His grip faltered and he screamed when the box slipped from his hands and rolled away. He, Rebecca and the Stranger reached for it but it was kicked away. With a flash of purple, it was lost among the crowd.

Yami screamed and clawed towards it, even as the men pulled him toward his family cellar. "No! No!" Yami cried out, desperately. Not his music box. Not the one that Seto gave him, the one that held so many memories and so many promises.

"Damn!" Rebecca curses harshly in a very un-ladylike manner.

"Don't worry, my lady," the stranger assured her, "For I know the way to the castle. I shall lead the assault. You have my word the beast shall be dead by morning."

"Nonsense," Rebecca protested, fiercely. "If anyone is going, it is I! I will personally make sure the monster, who's possessed my lover, is destroyed!" She turned to Yami with a longing smile, but her eyes were filled with jealousy and triumph. "Soon my love, we'll be together again," she promised him and turned to leave.

"I was never yours, Rebecca and I never will be!" Yami hissed, his defiant eyes lit with angry fire. Rebecca threw him one last heated glare, but it was laced with pity.

She turned and strolled towards the edge of the mob. Their torches blazed, their weapons sharp and ready, and their order already followed as they waited for the Duchess and the stranger to lead them in the assault. Her smile curved with twisted satisfaction, her gloved hands carefully stroked the blade concealed beneath her dress. She ignored Yami screaming profanities at her. Once he was free of his curse and returned to himself, she had no doubt that he would thank her.

* * *

"Get your hands off me!" Yami barely heard Atem threaten before he too was thrown in. Yugi screamed and kicked his legs, but his captors were careful and avoided the flaying limbs. Yugi dug his feet into the wood of the door, resisting with all his might, but the men were strong and soon he too was thrown in and landed on Atem. Only Yami remained.

"Let go of me!" Yami screamed, just as he was flung into the Stranger's waiting arms. The man held him in a firm grip, waiting only until the Duchess and the men were out of sight. His face twisted with lust as he pulled Yami by the shoulders and whispered in his ear. "Do not fret. I have no intention of handing you over to the Duchess. She's nothing but a delightful pawn." His oily words hung like the enthralling hisses of a viper ensnaring a bird with promises of safety before it sank its fangs into its neck. They made Yami's skin crawl. "You, my beautiful gypsy, are for _me._"

Before Yami could retaliate, the stranger spun him around and pressed a forceful kiss to his lips, brutal and domineering without a single trace of care or want or even desire, just the dark sickening urge to completely control. Too overcome with shock, horror and disgust, Yami's mind could barely register what was happening until the stranger pulled away and licked his lips. "Once I've killed your treacherous dragon and claimed what is rightfully mine, I'm going to make you my consort," were his final words before he spun the boy around, catching the barely concealed flames of hatred, but before they could explode he shoved the boy into the cellar, causing him to collide with his brothers who had come to his rescue, and slammed the door shut.

"No!" Yami screamed and slammed against it, but the lock had been done and it was too blunt and heavy to budge.

"Damn it!" Atem cursed and slammed his shoulder against the door while Yami pushed but it refused to budge. "It's bolted shut!"

Yugi rushed to the center of the room and lit the lantern, filling the underground chamber with light. "What are we going to do?" he asked.

"I don't know!" Atem answered.

"We have to do something!" Yami panicked and sank to the ground grabbing his hair and shaking with rage. He punched the door and screamed.

"Don't worry, Yami," Yugi dropped to his knees and hugged him around the waist.

"We'll think of something," Atem assured him, kicking the door but it didn't budge.

"They're going to _kill _him, Atem!" Yami panicked, his voice choked with tears and his eyes barely able to conceal the dam that threatened to spill. "They're going to kill him…" Tears glittered on Yami's eyelashes like rhinestones before finally falling in streams down his face. "And it's all my fault!" Yami burst into tears.

* * *

Miho steadied the stallion when it reached the top of the hillside. She'd been riding blind through the woods, hoping to put as much distance between herself and the mob of hate-blinded villagers as possible. She removed the hood of her cloak and looked over her horse's bent head. The lights of hundreds of torches lit the base of the woods and mountainside like an approaching fire, alerting her that she had little time to act.

But whatever time she could find was better than none she decided. It had to be. She'd seen the hatred that had consumed her best friend, just as easily as it had consumed the villagers, and how easily that monstrous man, whoever he was, had aroused them all with his cleverly charmed words. There was an evil presence haunting Hawkin's Hallow, but she knew it wasn't this supposed Dragon King.

She pulled on the reigns of her horse and urged him to continue. She had to do this. Even if Rebecca hated her, even if she lost her best friend forever, she knew it was right. And right now she was the only one.

Carefully, she removed the beautiful gold and lapis lazuli music box from the conceals of her cloak, wound it in exactly the same way she'd seen Yami do and prayed to every God and angel that was listening for help.

"Please," she prayed. "Show me the way to the Dragon King's Castle."

* * *

Hu-HA! Bet none of you saw that coming!

I am SO proud of this chapter! not only cause it came out exactly as i pictured it and more but cause I finally get to expand on the rest of my cast aka : Atem, Yugi, Rebecca and especially Miho.

I was very happy with the reception Miho's been getting in the earlier chapters and people have been asking me a lot about her so this is part one of my chance to explain and do more with her back story. Readers will get all their answers next chapter.

As for Rebecca, I want to make it clear that from this point onward don't expect her to be the same bratty bitch she was in the beginning. I'll admit I didn't expect her to do any evolving in this but my Hikari Tay, who likes Rebecca really grew on me and I she managed to worm her way into my subconscious and I'm very proud with how she will play out and what her role will ultimately be in this story and I already know my readers will either love or hate it, but anyway point i'm trying to make: pay attention to her, you will be surprised.

As for the Stranger/Sorcerer: feel free to rant and rave your hatred and lay your theories on me, I'm very curious to see what you all think will happen from this point on, cause I've got a lot more twists up my sleeve and this is just one of them :iconevilgrinplz:


	30. Chapter 29 the Siege

Five months sense this was last update and despite my best efforts it wasn't finished BEFORE the 3 year mark UGH! Well I'm telling you write now it will NOT make it to four! Anyway, I was hoping Frost King would be done sooner but i hit a snag with it, and this thing is LONG overdo so here it is! Five chapters left people and this story is DONE!

Dedications: To my Fans and reviewers who stuck with this story despite my horrendous updating (rest assured the next one will be finished and updated in a few days! I'm on a hot streak!)

Disclaimer: Takehashi owns anything related to Yugioh, this is loosely based of the Disney film and the French Fairy tale Beauty and the Beast neither of which i own either but the plot is mine.

IMPORTANT NOTES AT THE BOTTOM, PLEASE READ!

* * *

Chapter 29: The Siege

Black clouds thick with rain formed overhead, crafting the perfect picture of gloom that had fallen over the Kaiba castle in the last two weeks. Zane Truthsdale was never one for prophecies and fortune-telling but even he recognized a bad omen when he saw one.

"Any sign of him?" Chazz's concerned voice boomed in the Stewart's ears. Zane turned the corner to listen.

"No, I've looked everywhere," Jesse croaked, defeated. The three servants paced against the windows. Jaden looking far more dishevelled than the other two: his hands were caked in dust, his clothes were patched with dirt and dishevelled like he'd worn them for days, his red-rimmed eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep and his wild hair was in dire need of a wash.

"I checked the boiler room, the stables and the woods. I even checked all the spare bedrooms we never use; I don't know where he went!"

"That settles it; he must've gone with Yami," worry etched Jesse's voice and his fingers wove into his hair with frantic uncertainty.

"Damnit!" Chazz growled, pinching the bridge of his nose. "How stupid is that kid? He knows how dangerous it is to leave the castle!"

"Don't say that!" Jaden protested furiously and would have lunged at his friend in his rage if Jesse hadn't stopped him.

"Yeah, Chazz, Sy's a smart kid. He knows his limits. He won't go outside the Kingdom's boundary. He probably just went to convince Yami to come back."

"Yeah and how does he expect to do that?" Chazz retorted bitterly, but his shaking hands and the well-masked sadness in his eyes betrayed his true opinions. "We can't say anything about the curse. If we do, it stops us cold and even if he does as soon as it's midnight, it won't matter." The boy had backed himself against the railing and squeezed it so tight that the colour drained from his hands. His legs felt weak beneath him, but he stubbornly remained standing.

The shadow that had fallen over the castle following Yami's departure had only grown darker with each passing day. The residents, the land, even the castle itself, darkened with the sinking gloom of broken hope. The happiness and light that Yami brought had given them hope for the first time in decades, even when secretly, so secretly they kept it hidden from even themselves, they were beginning to lose hope. But the light Yami had brought was so bright even the never ceasing gloom of damnation hadn't been able to completely abolish those happy, hopeful memories. Right now, those very memories were the only thing keeping everyone sane. So, desperately, they held on, because the only alternative was to wait: wait to die, wait to be saved, wait for an absolution that would never come. At least, until Jaden had stormed down the stairs the morning after Yami's departure screaming that Syrus had disappeared.

"At least he's trying," Jaden countered Chazz's remorse. "We're not undead yet. If he can't say anything he'll still think of something. Sy's smart and he's tough. He won't give up, he never does. And Yami won't either. He only left 'cause he doesn't know what's going on. Do you really think he won't come breaking down the door the second he realizes we're in big trouble?"

"Of course I don't," Chazz protested. "I love that kid, you know that. I'm just trying to be realistic, here!"

"No, you're trying to be smart, as usual," Jaden dragged out the sarcastic snap before storming away. Jesse called after him, but Jaden didn't stop, even when Chazz screeched in anger and stormed after him.

Abandoning his place in the shadows, Zane swooped from the banister and landed in a crouch on the dining room floor.

A cacophony of light and arguments exploded through the adjacent hall defying the melancholy silence to its final moments. The fire of the stove exploded and ceased with Bakura's unstable temper, igniting every time Malik opened his mouth. At the table, Mai and Téa were involved in a bitter duel of sharp words that had somehow dragged Duke and Joey into it. Ryou and Serenity perched themselves on the counter peeling fruit, desperate to remain neutral. In the far corner, Jim had retired from the stables and was passing time with a half empty glass of rum; Shirley curled around his feet. Every once in a while he'd steal a glance at the chaos, then at Jesse. They'd long since shed their physical, monstrous forms for their transparent human ones, materializing only long enough to lift their alcohol glasses to their lips. Their arguments and rebuttals lost among the noise, arguments morphed into an entirely new set of wiles with a simple snappy comment, trolls egged on other trolls in a fierce duel of tongues that had no winner and no prize. Disputes continued simply for the sake of quarrelling. The only one absent in the chaos was the Master of the Castle, himself. Seeing them now, warring with one another with words instead of weapons, knowing his brother was absent, knowing his Master had isolated himself in the darkness of his room, knowing that the clock overheard was counting down the hours and minutes left of their mockery of freedom: it was too much for the Steward to take.

"ENOUGH!" the Stewart boomed and glared into the echoing silence. Among the shocked faces he instantly knew which one was missing. "Has anyone found my brother?" Zane demanded, his voice low and dangerously civil, almost daring someone to answer him.

"He's gone, of course," the confident smirk in Jaden's voice shocked the room into a new type of silence.

Zane whirled around, his neutral mask shattered at the response, revealing a face juxtaposed between furious bewilderment and mystified shock. Unbridled anger replaced it when he finally understood what the answer meant. "What?"

"Well, we already know he's gone and we can't find him anywhere here, so the only logical conclusion is that, unlike the rest of us, he wised up and went after Yami instead of staying here and making idiots out of ourselves." Jaden's smile never faltered, but the bravado in his voice invoked the Steward's rage.

"At least we hope that's what he did," Chazz chimed in from his position against the wall. "Because if he just ran away then he's dead once he hits where the border for the Kingdom was a hundred years ago. Literally."

"Do you think this is funny!?" Zane exploded, his entire form shook violently. "We're on the verge of ruin and all you people can do is make jokes and argue about nothing!"

"Well, what the hell else are we supposed to do, Steward?" Bakura laughed darkly. "In case you haven't noticed, we've hit rock bottom. Yami's gone, our Master has hauled up in his room doing God knows what, Syrus ran away and in less than six hours we're going to become the apparitions of hideous beasts for eternity. Is there any way this can get worse?"

"It can always get worse," the comment came from Téa, surprising everyone.

"Funny, I'd have thought you of all people would be bragging right about now," Bakura smirked, curling his fingers around the steam coming from his teacup making it spin, but the liquid was amber and obviously not tea. "Your scepticism was quite evident when Yami first arrived, don't you think? I thought you of all people wouldn't be so optimistic."

Téa slammed down the cup she'd been holding and stood up, flashing a proud grin. "Well, I am and I'm not regretting it. And do you know why? Because I was wrong and I've never been more pleased about that fact."

"Oh really?" this time it was the Maître de who spoke, jiggling a half empty glass of amber bourbon as he did so. "If memory serves, you were the most against Yami being our Master's Key."

"I won't deny that I was," Téa admitted, "But that was before I knew the kind of person we were dealing with. Even before this curse took effect our Master had been searching for a consort, but no one met his standards. His acceptance of his curse simply made that worse, so naturally you can assume I was incredibly sceptical that someone of Yami's temper and attitude could compete with our Master's: he the frozen, frigid winter who blew out any sign of flame with bitter winds and frozen snow and Yami's an unstable combustion that flared and dimmed on a whim. See my point?"

"We were all sceptical about that, but it didn't stop us from hopin," Jim chimed in, Shirley growled in approval.

"Perhaps, but I wasn't rushing in to hope blindly, it was obvious that Yami's flame was melting the Master's ice, but was the winter cooling the flame? What would be worse for our Master: maintaining a bond with someone he cared about and having it go no deeper than that, or falling desperately in love with someone who didn't love him back? That was my grandest fear."

"And it came true," Bakura snorted, throwing his leftover alcohol onto the stove. The roaring flames behind echoed the bitterness in his ironic statement.

"No, it didn't!" Téa whirled to her feet, nearly knocking over a chair as she did so. "Yami loves our Master! It's obvious he does and I have no doubt that he would've told our Master that very night, had whatever afflicted his family not settled in, and I'm convinced if he were here now he still would. _That_ is why I'm optimistic, because I'm not drowning on what could've been, I _know_!"

"That's what's bothering me, Téa," Duke's solemn voice softened the tension. Suddenly finding himself commanding the attention, Duke stared intimately into the spinning amber liquid of his untouched bourbon. "Did it strike anyone else as odd, that _both_ of Yami's brothers would catch two completely different illnesses at the same time? I know Yami explained Yugi's aliment, but Yugi was in those woods in the middle of winter for at least several days, if not a few weeks, before even getting sick. And they're merchant children, they're raised from early ages to know and prepare the worst conditions on the road, it doesn't make sense he would get _that_ sick _that_ fast, especially if he was taking his medication. And Atem's illness makes no sense at all. I can understand the stress of not knowing where his brothers are causing emotional problems, but enough to throw someone into an acute state of rage _and_ depression? My art has kept me in the medical field for years and I can honestly say that even in _our_ time I've never seen such ailments spread so quickly. I've been pondering the possibilities for weeks and none of them add up, or even come close."

"So then what do you think, Duke?" Téa asked, intrigued as everyone else but being the only one able to speak.

Duke stood up, abandoning his glass, his eyes narrowed to slits. "That someone _made_ them sick."

A series of collective gasps led to a new amount of silent questions.

"Is that even possible?" Ryou asked, hopping down from the counter. "I mean, medically, Yugi shouldn't have contracted something so severe unless in direct contact with someone already sick and there is no cause for madness to my knowledge?"

"Medically, no," Duke agreed. "But a hex could do the trick."

"You mean bad magic?" Joey said with a combination of shock and scepticism.

"If by bad, you mean spells created specifically to hurt, then yes. Botanists have been part of the healing circles for generation, but whenever there's something that can help, there's always something that can harm. Wiccans and Gypsies were famous for it; most of them just won't hurt because of the threefold theory: whatever you do to someone else boomerangs back at your three times worse or three times blessed, depending on the nature of the spell."

"Oh God," Mai covered her mouth. The collective horror through the staff's faces confirmed they had the same twisted thoughts.

"You don't think?" Joey looked at Zane, his face glued to the ground and his fists balled at his sides.

"Of course, I do. He sent two monsters after Yami; of course that sick bastard would stoop to something so low!" Zane punched the counter next to him. "Damn it!"

"Well, this just went from bad to worse," Chazz snapped.

"Least it can't get lower than that," Bakura said bitterly, half-chuckling.

As if to prove Bakura wrong, a loud swoop and a crash echoed from the front hall. Marik charged into the kitchen brandishing a face torn between disappointment and a general preparing for war. "Someone's entered the gates," he announced. "And it isn't Yami."

That single statement stunned the room to silence.

"Ow!" Bakura's scream of pain broke the spell. "What was that for!" he glared at his husband rubbing the abused spot on his head where Ryou had struck.

Ryou just continued to glare. "You just _had_ to remark didn't you?"

XXXXX

Miho pulled on the horse's reigns again but its refusal to continue further forced her to descend and abandon the creature at the gates. It turned and bolted the moment it was free and vanished into the woods.

"Even the horse knows this is a bad idea," Miho swallowed, clenching the glowing orb in her hands tighter, shinning brighter and more vibrant blue than it had before. She'd quickly deduced that the brighter it shined the closed she came to the castle.

Miho had never been one for castles, beyond what she read in fairy tales, but if the towering spires that were spiking the sky in a jagged line, forlorn gates circumnavigating the profound structure and the dark, curved, worn stone coloured in a shroud of darkness were any indication: _this_ was the Dragon King's castle. Now all she had to do was pray this mysterious Dragon King would speak to her.

Storm clouds roared overhead promising a horrible storm if she didn't hurry. She rushed across the courtyard and pulled on the door knockers with all her might. She thanked the heavens it wasn't locked. It opened to a room styled as an entrance hall but was made entirely of glass. She rushed through it, coming to an even grander set of doors. Her dainty fingers wrapped around rings trapped in the lion head mouths and tugged harshly, but these doors refused to budge. Lightning crashed outside making her scream, but she shook her head knowing whatever time she had, couldn't be wasted.

"Hello!" she screamed and slammed on the door as hard as she could with her weak fists. "Please! You have to let me in! I have to speak to the Dragon King! It's an emergency please!" she screamed hammering her fists over and over until the doors swung open mid-pound and the force sent her flying forward. She screamed and crashed into the ground, her cloak fell open to reveal a curtain of blue hair.

"Who the hell are you and why have you come here?" Miho looked up and nearly screamed when a circle of strange men surrounded her, but among the party she could see two women dressed as nobles and three young boys she assumed were servants. They didn't look like the monsters Drachentöter had described, which only fuelled her conviction that he was a liar.

"Please, I have to see the Dragon King!" She stumbled to her feet, her grip on the music box faltering as she did so and it slipped from her hand. She stumbled to catch it, but a scaly object wrapped around it like a vine, a tail connected to the bottom of a giant reptile. Miho screamed and again when the creature lunged a long snout of teeth towards her.

"Stop that!" a black-haired man with a bandaged eye scolded until the creature presented the music box. The company gasped and turned her with accusing glares once they saw it. "Where did you get this?" the man demanded his voice dangerously low.

"Tell us!" a tall haired man, dressed in silver armour stepped forward, his eyes hard and grey as stone.

Swallowing her terror, Miho stood and spoke, "Please, my name is Miho, I'm a Lady in Waiting for the Duchess Rebecca and-"

"Rebecca?" the boys cut her off. "The one Yami told us about?"

"Yes, Yami's why I'm here, please!" Miho pleaded as the company descended on her, obviously not trusting her. She could only imagine what they knew of her and Rebecca, things Yami had told them. True things. "Yami said the Dragon King is in danger! But Yami's in danger"

"What are you talking about?" this time a woman spoke, a gorgeous woman who looked and walked like a Queen. Her stunning blond hair cascading in waves and violet eyes sharpened with wisdom and resolve completed the image.

"Yami and his brothers have been locked inside their home by my Mistress the Duchess, but please, she's not herself…" Miho pleaded, falling to her knees, fighting desperately to stop the tears that threatened to fall. "It's that evil man, he's manipulated her!"

"What evil man?" The company suddenly stepped back, their expressions dropping and transforming with every action.

"What did this man look like?" the man in silver armour asked, more gently than before.

"I don't know," Miho shook her head, tears glittering on her lashes like rhinestones. "I never saw his face, he always wore a hood, but…his clothes. They were always the colour of blood. His eyes, they changed colour, sometimes they were green, other times they were grey, most of the time they were a combination of both but…they always had this evil look in them, like he was planning something and it was working perfectly, and his voice," the girl paused to visibly shudder. "When he spoke…it was like a demon was speaking using the voice of an angel, whispering enthralling lies in your ear, telling you what you wanted to hear so he could steal your soul later. He used it every time he spoke to my mistress. He called himself Drachentöter, but I never believed it was his true name. Please, I know nothing Yami must've told you about us is good, but, he cares about this Dragon King and he's in trouble. Drachentöter, he and the Duchess are leading a mob here, as we speak."

XXXXX

"Fuck!" Marik grabbed his hair and screamed in anger, turning to the company. "It was _him_. We were right!"

"Son of a bitch!" Joey cursed. "We should've known he'd try something like this."

"Wait, where's Yami?" Jaden shot forward, sliding to his knees and addressed the girl, Miho. "Did you see a boy with him, about yay big" he held his hand a little higher above his kneeling position. "Light blue hair, wears glasses, really big, really cute silver eyes, really pale?"

Miho shook her head sadly. Jaden leaned back defeated. Téa gently pushed him aside and lifted the girl's chin to meet her eyes. "Miho, tell us everything."

Miho hesitated for a moment, but Téa held her steady and looked at her with an aged wisdom, and in her eyes was a sense of trust. Finally, Miho nodded. "Rebecca, the Duchess, she's not a bad person. She truly does care about her people and me. She's my best friend. When my parents died…I was left with nothing, no home, no money, our title and name had long since lost any prestige when we lost our fortune. Our old friends and neighbours wanted nothing to do with us, I had nothing. If Rebecca hadn't saved me…I'd have gone to the Child Broker."

"Child Broker?" Jim asked, with a slight disgust that someone would have such a title.

"Pegasus," Miho continued. "He owned the local orphanage with his wife years ago, back then it was a paradise for homeless children: a second chance. He and his wife couldn't have children, so they opened it to help the town's orphans but…when his wife died…something changed in Pegasus. Everyone says he went mad, but since then that orphanage became a prison. Anyone there is labelled a ward of the state and they have no hope of ever escaping that title. But Rebecca saved me, she didn't care if I didn't have money or wealth, I was her friend. She saved my life."

As they listened to her story, the girl she described sound quite different from the one Yami had described.

"She's not evil, but she's spoiled," Miho continued. "As a Duchess she's never been denied anything. In her mind Yami was no exception, so when he continued to deny her she pursued him relentlessly. As I said, he has every reason to hate her, but I'd hoped in time Rebecca would simply accept that Yami didn't return her feelings and move on, but…when he disappeared, everything changed. This Drachentöter, he came out of nowhere, he said he could help her, that the reason Yami refused her was because Yami had been spelled by a cursed dragon he had been hunting. That the creature had tricked Yami into loving him and had put spells on the Mouto brothers. She believed every word. He'd convinced her that if Yami didn't agree to marry her even under the threat of Yugi being taken away by Pegasus, it would force him to reveal the Dragon King. Yami did and when he told us about him: how he was kind and loving to him, Rebecca lost her mind." Miho shook her head. "She and the stranger convinced the entire town that the dragon has spelled him into thinking nothing bad had happened to him and instead claimed the Dragon King had tortured and raped him, and that he'd hit the town next. All of them, the hatred, the anger, that man look at it and…he smiled! He _smiled_! I grabbed the music box when Yami dropped it and I fled. Please," she grabbed the woman's arms and buried her face in her chest. "Please, you have to help her! That man is evil!"

Téa returned the hugged and stroked her hair. "Don't worry, we'll stop him." She stood up, "Serenity, take her to a spare room, one on the other side of the castle, away from the chaos."

Serenity nodded and helped Miho to her feet, "This way."

"You stay with her too," Joey ordered.

But Serenity spun towards him, "Over my dead body! This is my home too, Joey! I'll defend it until I die."

"Us too!" Jesse, Jaden and Chazz all said defiantly, knowing their age put them at a disadvantage.

"This isn't a game, boys," Zane protested. "We're only ghosts in the weakest sense, even in our spiritual forms we can still be cut and bleed, we can still be wounded or killed."

"This is our home!" Jaden stomped his foot. "We have to defend it."

Zane tried to protest but the determination and resolve in all their eyes made it impossible to, and he knew there was no time to argue. Even the Dragon King could still be wounded or killed.

"Before we do anything," Joey stepped forward, "Marik check the guard tower. See if there is an army coming. In the meantime, Serenity you get Miho to safety then gather everyone into the upstairs lobby, we'll make a plan." Everyone nodded and fled.

They regrouped on the second floor above the main foyer. Marik crashed inside through the Gatekeeper's entrance. "Girl was telling the truth," he said. "Invaders are storming the woods as we speak and I don't mean like a small army type, they've got the entire town down there: torches, pitchforks, there's a freaking mob and they're out for blood!"

"Did you see _him_?" Zane asked.

Marik's grim face answered them before he spoke, "He's donned a human guise, but it was him, he's leading them with the Duchess, Miho spoke of. Her theory may not be off either; there was madness in that girl's eyes."

Zane nodded at their commander. "Alright, you're our battle expert, what's the plan?"

Marik spun to Chazz. "Chazz, warn the Master, the rest of you get down to the main foyer of the manor and barricade the doors. In case they break in, we'll need a secondary strategy." A devilish smiled curled about his face, his eyes narrowed to devious slits.

"What's the secondary strategy, so I can tell Bakura?" Ryou asked since his husband was restricted to the kitchens.

"These villagers are an angry mob; they're driven by the lies that that bastard's been feeding them. Their anger is misplaced," he cursed him, determined not even dignify their enemy with a name. "Which means they're a mob of completely untrained workmen: they're sheep. Not soldiers and definitely trained or courageous enough to go into battle. My guess is they also don't know the truth about this castle or the curse. As far as they know, they're only facing _one_ 'monster'. That gives us the element of surprise _and_ the advantage of fear."

Malik's smile twisted until it matched his husband's bravado. "Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?"

"What's the plan?" Joey asked, bewildered.

Marik's smile put a madman's to shame. "He cursed us to look like monsters right? And technically we are monsters, so…I say it's high time we started _acting_ like it."

XXXXX

No sooner had Marik given him the order, Chazz bolted to the West Wing, cursing that its only entrance was from the first floor. While the staff prepared for war, he prepared to protect his Master. Even if it cost him everything, he'd do it. He'd never let anyone hurt Seto, the man who saved him when the only family he had left had abandoned him when the old monarch failed, and left him for dead.

It didn't bother him; he'd hated his brothers just as much as they hated him. To them, he was theirs mother's murderer. She'd been told birthing her third child would kill her, that the risks were too great: but she'd rapped away any thoughts of removing her baby like a disobedient dog. And her husband loved her more for it. When the birth had killed her, but her baby was born healthy, it had also killed any hope her new-born had of forming a bond with his older brothers. Their father's favouritism towards the child his wife had willingly given her life to bring into the world had only fuelled their hatred. His father's death sealed his fate. His brothers treated him as nothing more than a pawn in their quest for power. But their cushy life as the evil King's two biggest supporters and confidents, backfired the moment they'd dragged Chazz to court and made him a page to the wrong prince. Seto had taken him under his wing, protected him and showed him love for the first time in ten years. Kept Chazz close to him and healed the damage that had been done and taught him to feel again, to laugh, to smile, to make friends, to have fun, to live. And he'd be _damned_ if he let anything happen to Seto.

The stairs flew under his feet as he ran, the hall passed in a blur. He didn't bother knocking. He just threw the door open and it echoed with a loud bang as he did so. He stood in the doorframe, transfixed with a look of determination.

Across from him the Master sat in his armchair, but he'd positioned it against the window overlooking the woods. His back arched forward staring into the empty space of the floor, his wings hung limp and low at his side mimicking a fallen angel. He barely raised his head when Chazz entered.

"Pardon me, Master," Chazz spoke loudly, but calmly, "We need you, now."

"Leave me in peace, Chazz. I'd like to spend my last hours of life, enjoying my memories."

"But sir," Chazz shot forward, but willed himself not to run to him. "The castle is under attack!"

Only at the word attack, did Seto raise his head.

XXXXX

The door held up strong against its assault, but the force was still enough to make the belly of the wood jump. The men all worked together in lifting the enormous tree they'd transformed into a battering ram, chanting their murderous intentions in perfect rhythm with the ram's slamming against the door. The Sorcerer could only smirk. They were like sheep waiting for their herder to tell them what to do next. It was truly sad how pathetic these simple minded souls were. Even the Duchess who watched with a sick fascination, each time the ram slammed into the door, waiting.

He took a small satisfaction in the triumphant pleasure on her face that was laced with a sadistic desire. It was a true shame she was no more a sheep than the rest of them, a pawn believing it was a Queen. It was truly sad. These pawns would provide the distraction he needed, ensuring that the only threat to his plans had been taken care of, at least until he decided to make him his. The Dragon King was broken, and there was no way to repair him, and in less than four hours his spell would take effect: his victory was assured.

The oak doors finally surrendered under the force of the battering ram and swung open. Villagers piled into the dark castle, stepping over the scattered furniture of the failed barricade. As predicted there was no one inside: no chandeliers or torches were lit, the furniture stood piled together on either side of the entranceway leading to the stairs. Shadows from their torch lights revealed nothing. The Duchess entered first, bold and unafraid. The men followed after determined not to look fearful or be upstaged by a woman. The Sorcerer kept to the sides, his eyes meticulously scanning every shadow, every empty corner. Once the last villager stepped inside, he slipped back out, determined to carry out the rest of his plan. All he needed to do now was find the right location and wait.

Rebecca had failed to notice his departure, too focused on the entrance hall and not fooled by it forlorn emptiness. Behind her, the villagers raised their torches, seeking something in the shadows, weapons clenched so tightly that their knuckles went bleached under the pressure. Their bravado betrayed by the true fear in their eyes. The rage they'd build up during the journey had faded and dropped once they were actually confronted with force they were facing: their arrogance evident in their swaggers. Only Rebecca seemed immune to the spell, she ignored the rips and tears and mud running along the hems of her dress, the shouts of the men. Instead, her focus scrutinized her surroundings, taking in every shape, every shadow, every corner, over and over, looking for differences. Their fierce, dedicated, conviction never once faltered. Finally, the villagers piled into the entrance hallway, several feet from the splintered doors, forming a single group, completely unaware that they were surrounded.

"NOW!"

Their descent was like a plague of demons. The lights roared to life, illuminating the creatures hidden in the shadows. Shedding their invisible human skins, they wore the much more visible masks of monsters. Their attacks were swift and quick, followed by shrieks of horrified shock, screams so loud they never stopped, and jaws frozen open in voiceless terror. Many of the villagers abandoned their quest and fled, waving their hands and screaming for help as they were ravaged by monsters. They bulldozed and scrambled over their comrades, desperate to escape the monster house. Those that stayed behind attacked out of terror or brandished their weapons in arrogant audaciousness. They stereotypically swung their weapons, stunned when the creatures dodged them easily and rapped them from their hands like they were scolding a disobedient dog, leaving them meek and helpless without their precious weapons. They were not soldiers. They were not brave men. Just angry and arrogant villagers seeking the glory of "freeing the town from the monsters". Except, unlike the silly children's tales, this time the monsters would be the ones who saved their home from the stupid invaders.

For the first time, the Kaiba Castle staff delighted in their monster forms now that they served the purpose of protecting their Master and their home. The sheer terror their presences invoked fired their pride and sharpened their determination. No longer were they creatures who shamed themselves as hideous monsters. No, they were strong, magnificent beings capable of power and invincibility. Theirs was a true power: the empowerment that came when one accepted one's identity. That very power that he had tried so brutally to steal from them returned more glorious than ever. Ironic how _his_ curse, meant to steal their power had unwittingly made them stronger and grander than ever before. Now, they donned the very creatures who symbolized their souls.

Zane transformed from a Steward's ghost into a three-headed hydra encased in metallic silver scales, shinning threateningly in the torchlight. An entire line of men, foolhardily hauling weapons, was swatted like a fly with a simple flick of his curling tail. Every inch the terrible black dragon, Joey wrapped his tail around the ankles of his victims and dragged them towards his snapping, flaming jaw, mimicking a portal to hell: he laughed every time they fainted and chucked the unconscious bodies onto the lawn.

Marik and Malik possessing the matching bodies of a flaming golden-armoured gryphon attacked together. Farmers' rakes, hoes and axes broke the moment they hit their armoured scales, allowing their handles to come face to face with the psychotic guard captain. His wings expanded to their full length and consuming his entire body in flames, his victims screamed like little girls who'd seen a spider and piled out the door to escape his dive bomb.

Those who tried to flee deeper into the castle were met with the nasty surprise of Jim in the body of a golden warrior skeleton composed of triceratops bones. The only thing more terrifying than the enormous sword he bore in his hand was the huge crocodile snapping its enormous maw of teeth next to him.

Overhead, Mai took to the air, beautiful even as a pointed-eared, ice-blue skinned harpy. Feathers grew out of her arms to her talon hands forming wings. She flew like an eagle in the air, diving at the men with the sharp talons of her feet, purposely missing them by a few inches. Her laughter at their terror was like a flock of crows taking to wing. On the railing of the second floor, Serenity was an angel warrior, next to her; Téa wore the pale green skin of a green-haired, innocent-eyed, pointed eared fairy, with lovely golden, feathered wings. When the villagers saw them they turned to her with looks of desperation, mistaking them for their saviours. Instead, Serenity flashed a twisted smirk that didn't belong on her innocent face and began hurling weapons, furniture and objects from overhead, laughing as they screamed and ran. Likewise, Téa fired arrows of light which went whizzing mere inches past their ears and then exploded into bursts of light behind them. When Serenity ran out of objects to throw, she mimicked Mai and attacked with a sword in each hand. Téa stretched her wings and took to the air firing arrows and flew in circles.

Jaden, mistaken for an easy target due to his small form, opened the black maw of teeth that was his mouth and violently bit anyone who came at him. Each assailant howled in rage and shook their limbs to get him off but the Kuriboh's massive jaw held on tight. When he finally did let go he finished his assailant off with a swift, speedy head butt in the stomach, side or back. He stopped when a shadow approached him from behind. Too late he tried to flee but his wings had already been captured. He flapped about furiously like a bird stuck in a bag but his assailant only laughed at his feeble efforts and pulled his wings in opposite directions making Jaden scream at the furious pain clawing up his back.

Overhead Chazz jumped down the staircase transforming in a spiral of pale blue light into a panther-sized half-white half-black dragon, brandishing his fierce claws, a long snout of fangs and juxtaposing wings of an angel and a demon. His talons sank into the railing, giving him a firm grip. He inhaled sharply and exhaled a ferocious roar, magnified in sound by the connecting hall's echo. The villagers all froze and looked towards the sound, some of them screamed and others abandoned their current duels and advanced towards him. Clearly they believed he was the "terrible dragon" Drachentöter had no doubt poisoned in their minds. And why should he not play the part? Chazz thought with a smirk curling across his jaw, revealing two rows of pointed teeth. He scanned the room and his eyes narrowed to slits of rage when he saw Jaden being held by his wings in the meaty hands of a well-muscled brute. He too stood transfixed by Chazz's true form. Using that to his advantage, Chazz barrelled down the railing of the staircase like a charging mountain lion. The brutish man quickly threw Jaden aside and ran realizing the creature was after him, but Chazz would have none of it. No one made Jaden's life hell except him. With a powerful leap and a flex of his wings, he glided through the air, loosened his front claws and landed on the meaty man's backside sinking his sharp claws into the tender flesh. He jumped off when the brute howled with pain and ran from the castle holding his bottom the entire time.

"And stay out!" He landed the size of a cat, finishing off his stance with a proud snort of his nose and chin, but the regal image was ruined when a winged, furry creature ploughed into him from behind, sending him stumbling embarrassingly to the ground.

"Thanks, Chazz," Jaden laughed nuzzling his friend's back, even as Chazz clawed at the ground to get away from him, but the Kuriboh's weight kept him pinned.

"Get off me!" He flayed over and over again.

On the other side of the room, Jesse's tiny fox-like form had drawn a small crowd. A smirk curled across his chops as the three haughty brutes circled him. One moved to grab him, but he quickly jumped into the air and bit his arrogant attacker's wrist. The brute roared in pain and furiously tried to grab him with the other hand, but Jesse dashed up his arm, causing his meaty fist to collide with the bite wound. The unfortunate man roared his pain in a feminine scream.

Jesse jumped on the second man's head, but the brutish man he bit was so overcome with anger that he didn't notice this and brought down his plank of wood directly on the man's head. Jesse dashed off at the last second and circled the third man's ankles. The man broke into a wobbly dance to avoid stepping on the creature or being touched by it. With a powerful leap, Jesse propelled himself into the man's back sending him crashing into the other two men, who'd broken out into a brawl of their own. The fox laughed at his success until the three men turned to him, eyes narrowed with hate and charged after him.

"Uh-oh!" he dashed as fast as he could but the men continued to chase him. Thinking quickly, he slid under the door and into the kitchens. The man shoved the door open, chuckling with dark intentions when they found their "cornered" victim.

"Ah-hem." The three stopped and turned around. A man in a robe as white as his hair, with juxtaposing wings of an angel and a demon, crossed his arms confidently over his chest and smirked like a cat with all the cream. "I suggest you gentlemen, leave. I don't like strange men in my kitchen," he warned.

The three men growled at the insult and turned their bloodlust towards the boy, raising their knives, club and torch. Ryou didn't even flinch.

Instead he sighed. "Suit yourself, but don't blame me when my husband gets a hold of you…" he sang. No sooner had he spoke had every counter in the room opened. Every knife stood on its handle, their sharpness reflected in the individual shine. Then the oven in the corner erupted in flames.

"Mwhahahahaha!" Bakura, wearing his demonic disguise, rose from the rising towers of flames, flexing his wings and laughing maniacally, mimicking a devil, the knives shot like arrows through the air behind him.

Every hair on the men's bodies become vertical and their screams broke every masculine octave. They fled screaming, Bakura's laugh and the light of his flames echoing throughout the kitchen halls as he and Ryou entered the dining room still laughing.

"That was awesome!" Jesse praised hopping onto Ryou's shoulder.

"Well," Bakura boasted proudly, "I can't take all the credit." He turned to Ryou with a mischievous smile, noting the sadistic pleasure in his husband's smile that hadn't faded after the men were gone. "I had no idea you were so…_twisted,_ love," he complimented, turning Ryou's chin to face him and stole his lips in a possessive kiss, prompting Jesse to jump down and flee in disgust. Were they not in the middle of a war and about to die, he'd have thrown him to the floor and had his wicked way with him, but for now, praises and kisses would do. "Those certainly weren't _my_ knives."

Ryou laughed but said nothing; instead he grabbed Bakura and regrouped with the rest of the staff back in the great hall. Ryou took to the air and stared dumping hot liquids on anyone who attempted to escape the chaos by sneaking deeper into the castle. At the second entrance, Bakura juggled flames in his hands and started chucking them, purposely missing his targets.

Letting her guard down, Téa landed at the foot of the stairs and scanned the remaining fighters. The only ones left were foolish men with too much pride to too much stupidity to admit defeat, but even they stood little chance against the castle defenders. A bulky shadow appeared in the corner of her eye, but before she could process it two thick and hair arms encircle her thin fairy waist.

"Gotcha!" the bulging brute smirked victoriously, like he'd won a prize, "A fairy? Some monstrous castle!"

"Get off me!" Téa screamed, more disgusted than scared and screeched in pain when he started pulling out the feathers of her wings.

Duke, who'd been blocking the south exist with the enormous girth of his muscular, armoured Orgoth form, was the first to react when he heard Téa scream. He whirled around and his blood burned at the sight he'd met: Téa struggling and clawing at her attacker, who plucked the feathers from her wings like they were flower petals, a sick, sadistic smirk on his face. Abandoning his post, Duke charged across the room and delivered a ferocious, gauntlet-covered punch to the side of the brute's face, and caught the fairy in his free arm when she fell.

It always puzzled him how a mischievous and agile botanist and gambler who worked with his hands and knew nothing about being a warrior's soul-creature could be an enormous, hulky, purple-skinned knight covered in armour. However, at that moment, holding Téa in the pale green skin of a fairy, when she smiled and hugged him around his helmet covered neck (had he been human he would've died from the heat blushing his face), he could see how it fit. A fairy and a knight: they looked the image of a fairy-tale.

When the brute stumbled angrily to his feet, ego clearly dented by the slacked jaw of his wound, he turned to them both: face contorted with anger, brows furrowed in fury and jaw contorted to sneer, only to freeze when he took in the immense size of his opponent. Smirking, Duke set Téa down and slowly walked towards the cowardly brute. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size," he taunted.

The brute screamed like a child and ran. "You want to or should I?" Duke turned to Téa.

"Allow me," she picked up her bow and fired, laughing hysterically when the light flash struck the brute's large rump making him howl.

The taunting laugher of the staff echoed in the villagers' whole escape from the castle: they crawled and ran screaming, or were flung through walls, cooks, bakers, butchers, artisans, shop-men, insulting the horrified villager's bravado with taunts.

XXXXX

The monsters storming the castle had surprised Rebecca to say the least. So much that, had she been less resolved, she'd have followed those idiotic male villagers when they fled, but she was above them. This was why a _Duchess_ had to rule: men were weak, cowards at heart and too easily swayed, it was no surprise that she'd rejected the false bravado of her other admirers. Yami was a real man: _he_ would've stayed and fought when the others had fled. The reminder had stiffened her spine and kept her from fleeing.

As horrified as she was to see monsters storming the castle and attacking them—Drachentöter hadn't mentioned others—she hadn't failed to notice their refusal to land a blow and Drachentöter sneaking away from the castle. It seemed _she_ was destined to free her beloved from the disgusting, merciless grip of this monster: the _Dragon King_. Just the word put a foul taste in her mouth and she spat it as if it were poison.

It hadn't been too difficult to sneak away in the chaos of the fight and slip up the stairs. She ripped off the destroyed hems of her dress, threw them aside, and darted up the steps. She hid behind a statue, avoiding the sight of the two beasts committing the atrocity of posing as angels. She waited until they flew down and dashed deeper into the confines of the manor, careful not to alert anyone of her presence.

A stroke of madness fired her being with bloodlust the closer she crept into the castle. She wasn't sure where this dragon was, but she would find it. Find it and pierce its heart, just as he had forcibly stolen the heart of the man she loved. The man whom she'd known for years was destined to be her prince, her fairy-tale, her happily ever after. Together they would bring about a golden age: as Duke and Duchess, just as she'd always known they would.

Perhaps she had been too formal in her courtship of Yami: he was young, naïve and childish. He'd lost his adult figures young, was raised by an older brother who knew nothing of parenting and spent his days with a young boy: could she really blame him for his innocence? It was her fault, in retrospect, she understood that now. She had assumed that he had matured as she had: she'd failed to realize for all his glorious gifts, Yami still carried the last fleeting innocence of a child to cope with his sadness. She had been a fool to ignore it, but no longer.

She had failed before, she wouldn't now. She smirked when she noticed the increasing splendour of the palace, marking the walls like arrows towards her destination. Though she may not have lived in a castle, decorum made it clear that only the most lavish settings were registered for the Heads of the household. Even if those monsters were his servants she had little doubt that the selfish creature would keep anything less than the best for himself. She was getting close. She could feel it in her bones. Her blood burst with an excitement that frenzied her being and filled her mind with thoughts no lady should ever think.

But she was a lady no longer: her wild eyes become bright with madness and fierce with determination, her smile twisted with sadistic delight, marring her lovely face. From the belt of her bosom, she slipped free the object she'd so carefully hidden: Drachentöter's stolen dagger. She stared at it greedily, noting the intricate gold outlines etched into the blade. Surely, this was the weapon he'd intended to slay the Dragon with, but he'd lost that right when he too fled like a coward. Now the task was hers, at is should be.

She laughed berserk at the irony. A woman saving her man, a lady rescuing her fallen hero from a wicked spell: it sounded like a ballad. But no, this was real and she had to remind herself of that. It was a reality that her lover had been kidnapped and she had ignored the warnings, but the fault was not her own: who would believe the ranting and ravaging Mouto brothers screaming about how they saw a dragon? But the damage had been done: her lover had been kidnapped, tortured and tormented into believing this monster was good and kind. The very thought made insides contort with bile. The final break had been when Yami had admitted to being with the creature at night…

A crash was her only alert that she had punched something. Her fingers came away bruised and sore from contacting such force with the stone statue, but her mind was high on jealousy and anger and didn't even process the pain, even when she saw the stiffness of her hand.

The very knowledge that Yami had bedded the dragon: a beast, a monster, a male had shattered every ounce of lady-like decorum she'd been taught and unleashed the furious, heartbroken, devastated heart of a betrayed woman who discovered her power only when she reached her lowest point. She knew immediately what she had to do then. The creature had stolen Yami's body in the most vicious and vile of ways and worst, had tricked him into thinking it was an act of the heart. How _dare_ it! How _dare_ that dragon take what should've always been hers? How _dare_ it claim Yami's heart and body as his? How _dare_ he steal them from her without even trying!

Half-mad and distraught, Rebecca screamed and tore at her hair and clothes, her voice choked with tears and mad with laughter. The dagger clutched so tightly in her hands her fingers became numb. The sight of it made her chuckle. Darkness crept into her voice.

"Just wait, dragon," she sneered. "I _will_ find you and when I do, I will pierce your heart! And when I do, Yami's will return to me!" Her witch-like cackle made the very glass of the windows shake in terror.

XXXXX

From his perch upon the castle's exterior, he watched the villagers crawl away with their tails between their legs and shook his head with a smile of disgust. Cowards, all of them, he could almost laugh at how perfectly his plan was working. He laughed the entire journey of his eyes from the courtyard to the sky. The moon hung fat and full and soft gold with the end of winter and the approaching spring. Midnight was fast approaching. His siege of the castle had worked perfectly. The distraction had kept the staff occupied and left their dragon along in his personal incarceration.

His smile curled when he saw the victorious dances of the staff, celebrating their success. He could've laughed at such a pathetic sceptical.

"Let them have their moment," he laughed, throwing his scarlet cloak over his shoulders. "It will only make their devastation worse when their precious king fails." He burst into laughter, knowing the time without having to see a single clock. His magic crackled to life, red and lusting for vengeance, between his fingers.

"The gypsy is imprisoned, it's less than an hour until midnight and within the night I shall have reclaimed my throne and captured the greatest of all prizes." He laughed, already imagining the immense pleasure he would receive seeing the proud and noble Dragon King Seto Kaiba on his knees, writhing in pain and begging for help when the spell finally broke and his curse would at long last be free to take effect. A hundred years of waiting for this glorious moment. He could taste the satisfaction of victory in his mouth like the sweetest of wines. Picture the broken and betrayed faces of the staff when their lives were forced into the perpetual purgatory of non-existence and best of all, the defeated face of the Dragon King when he finally broke him. Broke the Dragon King by transforming him into the monster the kingdom of traitors worshiped.

And when he returned to _his_ throne, with the beautiful Gypsy in his lap and in his bed as his bride, he would possess the greatest of all treasures as a souvenir of his grandest accomplishment: Seto Kaiba's soul.

XXXXX

They cheered in victory when they made it beyond the gates. Only their laughter and victorious cheers could be heard throughout the castle walls, hollers of "Get out! Get out!" and "Go back to your village!" mingled with laughing taunts of "Get out of our castle!" and "Stay out forever!"

"And stay out!" Chazz transformed back to his spectral form, as much of the staff did, now that their monster skins were no longer needed and stomped his foot. The fearfulness of his stance marred by the still smiling Jaden hugging his waist. "Now will you _please_ GET OFF ME!" he demanded, shoving Jaden away, but the boy wouldn't budge.

"Thank god that's over," Joey announced, rubbing the sweat from his blond brow.

"Not yet it isn't," Chazz reminded him, "_He'll_ be here soon."

Their faces grimed with determination and they all nodded.

"Don't worry," Mai grinned. "We'll never let that bastard have Kaiba."

"Here, here!" Zane added.

"Everyone take a post," Marik ordered. "We'll set up a perimeter, the _second_ anyone sees _anything_ you sound the alarm and alert the others."

"We should do one upstairs, too," Malik added, that Miho girl is still up there and I wouldn't put it past the bastard to try some underhanded trick to outwit us."

"Neither would I," Jim nodded, Shirley growled at his feet in agreement.

"He won't get through us, even if Syrus doesn't get Yami back in time, the least we can do is to try and hold him off," Téa said proudly. "I for one don't intend to die without a fight."

"Me neither!" Jesse and Jaden said together, Jaden letting go of Chazz to hold up a victory sign.

"Our Master never gave up on us, so we won't give up on him either," Duke concluded, the statement sent them into a new wave of victorious cheers. Their dedication created a new hope within them, shinning so bright that Chazz slipped back away from the crowd and bowed his head secretly. His heart ached and his jaw twisted in his secret knowledge. No, their Master never gave up on them…but he'd already given up on himself…

_Seto hadn't been too surprised when Chazz entered his chambers. Chazz was the only one of the servants who attempted to mollify him in his darkest moments. He could feel the chains of his fate ticking down without looking at a clock. The pull of his heart grew stronger and stronger weighting him down like thousands of iron shackles chaining his limbs with another one being added with each passing minute. The spell would break in less than a few hours. Midnight was coming and when it did he would fulfil his dark prophecy and claim the victory he'd waited a hundred years for._

_And yet he wasn't bothered by that fact. Quite the opposite…he felt…strangely at peace. Seto knew well that the Sorcerer would keep his world: rip his human soul from his body and transform the shell in to a monstrous form of the very Dragon that symbolized his family and icon the people looked at a symbol of hope and change. It was meant to be a final insult to the Kaiba Family, he knew, but again it didn't bother him anymore. Six months ago, the very thought horrified and humiliated him and filled him with so much rage that he hated the world for such an unkind and undeserving fate. What had he done to deserve such a horrible curse upon his life? When he had always been kind? Always been loyal? Always fought for his people and done what he believed was right, even if the sacrifice was harsh._

_And yet he'd lost his family, been transformed into a monster and forced into isolation by the very people he fought so hard to protect: branded a monster, a demon, a dragon? Looking back he could've beaten himself for his childish behaviour. His angry temper tantrums, his depressed fit, his blaming of everyone and everything, even himself for the anguish: he'd done exactly what the Sorcerer wanted. The image of that man laughing at his angst, like a child who pulled the legs off a spider, filled him with shame._

_He'd told himself he wouldn't let that monster win. Wouldn't become what he'd wanted him to become. Wouldn't become the creature everyone accused him of being and yet he had done just that. He'd looked at himself and hated it. He hated the world for abandoning him when it was himself who'd Seto had put into isolation. He who was blinded to what the staff could see every day…until a fiery tempered, mere slip of a boy without any fear or hesitation volunteered himself in exchange for his brothers' freedom._

_Seto chuckled at that memory. Yami's sharp tongue, his fiery passion, his warm heart: it was difficult to see what kindred spirits the two men were when their personalities were so drastically different: Yami as fiery and unpredictable as a blazon summer, and he Seto Kaiba, as fierce and frigid as a winter storm. He remembered how once Yami compared him to snow rather than ice. He didn't understand why then, but he hadn't stopped pondering it. Smiling, now he finally understood. Snow, unlike ice, was cold but powerful, strong enough to conquer anything in its path, but soft and malleable enough to change, and most important of all, when snow melted…it became spring._

"_He truly is my soul mate," Seto smiled, talons subconsciously brushing the sapphire pendant adoring his neck. He hadn't removed it since the ball, since Yami promised to be his. It broke his heart that that morning would be the last time he saw Yami. _

_His old self might have been furious, tried to keep him with him, even with force if necessary, but the new him, the one who had finally achieved some sort of wisdom from his hundred year imprisonment, understood. Yami's leaving in no way reflected his feelings for Seto; the boy had made that clear when he'd held him. He could feel it in Yami's bones, see it in the tears the streaked his face when he left that leaving was difficult for him. But he couldn't abandon his family, Seto understood that well enough. Had their positions been reversed and it was Mokuba, Noah and Leon who were dying from sickness or madness, he'd have fled in a heartbeat to save them. The fact that Yami did the same thing was just another reason why Seto loved him._

_What had hurt however was that Yami hadn't come back. He knew it was a silly thing to be upset about. He knew well enough that Yugi's illness would take time to heal. Returning to full health in two weeks was considered good fortune. But despite that, he'd held on fiercely to the hope that Yami had missed him enough to come back, to return before the curse was broken, so that Seto could tell him: with a human mind, and a human heart, and a human voice, and a semi-human body…that he loved him. Curse be damned, his only regret was that he'd let Yami leave before he told him he loved him. It didn't matter if Yami loved him back or not, though it would've meant the world to him if he did, all that mattered was that he knew what it was like to find a soul mate. To know the same love his parents had. To know the greatest and most beautiful gift that came with being human: to love someone so much that you couldn't live without them. If Yami had loved him return, Seto swore he'd burst into tears, something he'd never admit to anyone. Not even Chazz._

"_Leave me in peace, Chazz," he said softly, his talon cupping the sapphire pendant. He wished he could cup the music box in his free hand, but it was Yami's now. So he could always look back and think fondly of him. He hated to know that when Yami did return he could find an empty castle and no Seto, but it was better this way. This way they could both hold those precious memories in their hearts forever. Seto could die in peace, and Yami could move on, knowing that he'd had an adventure of a life time. He could travel the world as he always wanted, write his stories, maybe one day—though it made him ache to think of it—find someone who would love him for who he was and almost as much as Seto did, and have a whole bunch of beautiful little tri-coloured haired children with beautiful scarlet eyes, or maybe he'd follow the route of Seto's own parents and adopt children, that certainly seemed something more his alley. He'd declare Yami as Chazz's guardian in a heartbeat if he weren't dragging the boy and the rest of the staff into the depths with him. However unintentionally it was. Maybe, there was still time to bargain with him. After all, it was Seto he wanted; he would turn them human in a heartbeat if Seto convinced him that they hated him just as much as he did._

"_But sir, the castle is under attack!" Chazz announced._

_Seto lifted his head at that statement. He got up from his chair and walked towards the window. The storm had reached full force and now rain down poured. He'd watched as villagers piled into his castle only to run away screaming minutes later._

"_Huh, son of a bitch. He must be desperate if he pulled a stunt like that."_

"_M-Master?" He almost chuckled at Chazz's flabbergasted expression._

"_The knows he's losing, Chazz," Seto explained. "He knows I'm not half as broken as I should be when he comes for me, this stunt of his is to try and catch us off guard. He thinks if he distracts us long enough, he can probably catch me off guard. What a fool. It doesn't matter anyway."_

"_What doesn't matter?" Chazz's voice was harsher. "That you're going to die and Yami will have to live the rest of his life without you? Without knowing how you feel about him! How can you give up?!" The boy was shaking and tears welled in his eyes. Sensing the boy's breakdown fast approaching, Seto crossed the threshold of his room and pulled the boy into a hug. Chazz gasped surprised by the action and shook his head, embarrassed by his sudden outburst. He was here to comfort his Master, not the other way around._

"_I haven't given up, Chazz," Seto assured him. "Quite the opposite, I've done the one thing that bastard thought I could never do. I've found peace." Seto let him go and strolled back to the window. "I hated him for doing this to me, to my home, I hated the world for abandoning me, when it was I who isolated myself, I was so filled with hate and anger that I became the very thing he wanted me to be, but no longer. When he comes for me, I will tell him that. Even if he rips my soul from my body, turns me into a monster and leaves me shattered and in pieces, he will never defeat me. That is a promise."_

"_What about us? You're our King! How are we supposed to go on without you?" Chazz demanded._

"_I haven't been your King for a long time, Chazz," Seto shook his head. "Believe me, if there was a way to place this burden on me alone, I would do it in a heartbeat and will plead for your safety. It's me he wants, not you. I'll make sure you are all freed by the time the night has ended. That is a promise. And when it is, I want you all to live the lives you were meant to live."_

_The words sent a chill down Chazz's spine. What did his Master plan to do? Sacrifice himself? Kill him? Kill himself?_

"_What will you do, Master?" Chazz demanded, his voice shaking._

_"It doesn't matter now," Seto turned to the window again. "Just let him come."_

* * *

This chapter was actually a LOT of fun to write, It was hard as hell make sure ALL the castle residents got a spotlight, and i had to go back and added a few characters like Jim and Shirley and Tea and Serenity but it was SO much fun having them all as monsters scaring the shit out anyone who entered the castle! Also i based Tea's monster form off the powered-up version of Shinning Friendship, originally i was gonna do Fairy's Gift, but i thought this one suited her better and looked more bad ass. I actually had a hard time picking Duke's monster sense before this i hadn't given him one, and yeah Orgoth was obvious but i wasn't sure if it fitted the character I gave him but when I did his and Tea's scene it suddenly fit! Got i love writing.

I'm also personally proud of Seto's scene: i mean come on, we all know he wouldn't relapse into depression as heartbroken as he is Yami's gone or not. He's accept it, let it make him stronger and wait for the Sorcerer to come so he can rip his throat out and free everyone, so yeah I'm very proud of that section.

the transition from the castle to Miho arriving was a bitch though...one of the reasons this chapter took so long, but I think it played out well, i can't believe i never though to tie in their Sorcerer theories before! XD

IMPORTANT NOTES: In case you haven't seen their is a poll on my page: VOTE FOR YOUR TOP FIVE NEXT FAVORITE STORIES! NOT 1. Not 2, or 3 TOP FIVE!

IMPORTANT NOTE 2: For all you artists who partook in my last poll, I'VE STATED AN ART CONTEST ON DEVIANTART (go to my home page the link is there for more details) I'm doing an art contest for all of my stories, requesting cover and chapter cover art for my stories, and I'd LOVE it if as many people are possible partook! THANK YOU!

And now a sneak peek for all of you...

NEXT TIME: Yami and his brother's are trapped in their root cellar and Syrus is their only hope for escape, and as the Sorcerer watches his brilliant plans unfold, all his carefully planning may be ruined by the most unlikely person...REBECCA! And the Sorcerer's True Identity will finally be REVEALED! Some of you've got it, many of you are close...a lot of you are WAY off but the truth will finally be revealed next chapter which will be up in a few days pending my school work: I finally started grad school! WOOHOO!

Sorry for the brutal wait...I'm NEVER doing that again!


	31. Chapter 30: The Sorcerer

(THROWS CONFETTIE, KURIS BLOW NOISEMAKERS AND ARE SWINGING FROM THE CEILING WEARING PARTY-HATS!)

ITS DONE! IT'S _FINALLY _DONE! (faints) Sorry for the 3-week to a month sense my last update but this chapter was an absolute BITCH to write much to my shock horror and annoyance. Apparently the only part I wanted to really write was the end, but Saturday night at 4 am I finally got this done and my beta got it back to me this afternoon...THANK GOD!

I wish i had an excuse but to be honest the lateness of this chapter was a combination of block, lack of ideas and interests, continuity issues, general boredom, stress, a few mini-breakdowns related to boredom and me missing by dog Blaze (that was a bad one) and me kicking myself for falling back into my old habit of letting small things get to me. And I won't lie i miss my friends and i miss talking to people and apparently college has turned my forum into a ghost town, and I'm part of the problem, since my small assignments for grad school have been piling up. but finally A few trips to the library and sitting at my desk with my headphones on and I finally not only fixed this chapter but got it into a way that i like: i'm still iffy about Seto and Yami's argument at the end but no big deal.

**Dedications: **To ShanaAlvarado29 the self-proclaimed Duchess of pride for keeping my love of this pairing alive and being one of the few who actually writes it that way I do: with them both in character! and for being a wonderful friend who was there when i needed to talk to someone. And to Vanya-Deyja an old friend and PHENOMENAL author who has also been a wonderful influence on me ^-^ I love you both! And of course to KedakaiOkami my now permenant beta on this project who got this monster of a chapter edited and back to me in less than 48 hours! You rock girl! Also to my old friend Luna Motou who read this story in one setting and like me enjoys in-character prideshipping as well as puzzle

**Disclaimer: **I own the plot, Phantom and any plot twists but the story is based on both the Fairy Tale Beauty and the beast (see earlier disclaimers for the French author) and the Disney movie which of course belongs to Disney, Yugioh, Yugioh GX and all its characters belong to Kazuki Takehashi, one of my heroes and favorite authors and i respect the guy WAY too much to even THINK of stealing his work.

See end of chapter for comments including a VERY important poll I'd like you all to consider.

As always read, review, critique, comment ask questions and rant away...oh and before I forget THE SORCERER IS REVEALED!

* * *

Chapter 30: The Sorcerer

"Damn it!" Atem punched the root cellar door as hard as he could, but the angle of the steps and the short space between them and the corbelled dirt ceiling made it difficult. "Grandpa's lucky he's dead or I'd kill him! I told him putting the door on top of the hill was a bad idea!"

"How are we supposed to get out of here?" Yugi demanded, trying to pull Yami to his feet. "Come on, Yami, get up! Now's not the time to start crying. We need to get out of here," Yugi tried to sound sympathetic, but his inexperience was evident in his tone. "It'll be okay you'll see?"

"How the hell is any of this going to be okay, Yugi?" Yami snapped, shoving the boy away. "That mob is going to kill Seto because _I_ told them where he is! We're stuck in here and if I don't get the hell out of here by midnight he, and everyone there, is going to die anyway!"

"Yami!" Atem scolded furiously when Yami knocked Yugi over, but the youngest boy made no move to stop his older brother. Yugi knew Yami was upset and if yelling at Yugi helped him calm down then Yugi would take the blow.

"And worst of all, I-" Yami screamed grabbing at his hair and neck until finally his hand clenched the red-ruby pendant around his neck. The action froze him instantly. Tears poured down his face and the anger in his eyes transformed from anguish to sadness and fear. "I-" Yami trembled at the horrible feeling of upset and uncertainty and desperately pulled Seto's coat closer around him in an effort to feel some form of comfort. That coat. The Necklace. The music box he no longer had…they were all gifts to keep Seto as close to Yami's heart as he could be. Even with one of them gone Yami suddenly felt unbearably empty. Like someone has pierced a hole into his heart that no amount of fixture and stitching could repair and even time would never heal the scar.

Collapsing under the weight of his own anguish Yami slouched back. His bottom landing on the steps and he hugged himself tightly, remorse and despair weighed on his heart like anchors sinking him deeper into the pools of regret. "I'll never get to tell Seto I love him." With that single realization, Yami felt like the ground beneath his feet had become unstable and if he even dared to move the entire world would shatter and he'd plummet into everlasting darkness.

"Then let's hurry up and bust out of here so we can save your beau and be done with it," Atem said, climbing on top of a bunch of boxes and shoved hard on a grime covered window that acted as a second escape, but even it refused to budge.

Yami and Yugi both shot up at the statement.

"What?" Atem asked, looking over his shoulder at their faces and grabbed a broken piece of rock and started banging on the window's lock. "I can't be straightforward?" He bashed on the lock hard but it refused to give, the rotten wood and glass, foggy with grime shook under the force but nothing splintered. Atem growled then roared in frustration! "Son of a—what is the point of this stupid thing if it doesn't open?" He threw the rock aside and shoved his side weight into it then tried to shove with his back but his feet slipped off the box and he tumbled into a pile of vegetables.

"You alright?" Yami and Yugi both jumped. Atem's answer was a string of colourful words and a pile of vegetables scattering across the floor when Atem jumped to his feet. He kicked the box then stormed back to the front door. "Help me push?" he ordered.

The two boys obeyed and the three shoved against the roof with all their strength but it refused to budge.

"It's no good, as long as it's locked, we're stuck," Yugi said.

"Damn it!" Yami punched the wall, "Now what?"

"Yami is that you?" a soft squeak dragged their gazes upward. The three jumped and piled to the roof.

"Syrus?" Yami asked stunned. He crouched on the highest step and pressed his ear to a crack in the door. "Sy, is that you?"

"Yeah, it's me!" Syrus cheered, sticking his bulging, gold eyes through a crack in the outside wood. He wrapped his tiny claws around the handle of the rock and pulled. "Sorry, it took me so long to get here, this stupid dragonroid body," he paused and arched his back in a perfect diagonal line. "Is horrible," he screeched pulling. When that didn't work he jumped to the other side of the lock, sank his talons into the wood and pushed with all his might, "For traveling in!" Syrus pushed until his feet slid out under him and flopped onto his stomach. He fisted his claws and slammed it against the wood.

"What's wrong, Syrus?" Yugi asked, worried.

"The lock, it's stuck!" Syrus panted.

"Can't you turn back into that human form you had and undo it?" Atem asked impatient, then groaned an 'ow' following two smacks to the back of his head.

"I can't," Sy admitted, defeated. "I don't have enough power; I'm too far from the castle." The Castle. Where his brother and Jaden and everyone was probably defending their home from an assault of angry villagers roused by that evil son of a bitch who was probably laughing and waiting, feeling so confident he'd won. Syrus growled at the image. He thought by keeping Yami away from Kaiba he'd won. That as long as they didn't admit how he felt, then he had all the cards and didn't even need to prepare a back-up plan. The thought fired Sy's determination and cleared his mind enough to think.

"Don't worry; I'll get you guys out!" Syrus promised, quickly deducing the fastest way to get the lock open. There was little he could do in his dragonroid form when it was barely the size of a mouse. But his claws and teeth were still sharp. He flexed his claws and touched his teeth with his tongue, then looked at the moon. He dropped to his knees and inspected the wood: the lock was bolted in but the wood was old and worn, the force the boys excreted showed in the cracks.

"Yami, listen to me, I need you guys to push against the right side of the door as hard as you can."

"Alright," the boys agrees and shoved hard.

"My right!" Syrus corrected himself. The wood curved up on the other side. "That's it!" Syrus jumped about the lock paying attention to where the screws were weak, flexed his claws and sank it into the crack the second it splintered. He hissed when the wood squeezed his claws, trying desperately to force them out, but Syrus pushed them in as deep as he could and pulled with all his might. His pride spiked when his claws sank deeper cutting into the wood. With a sharp pull, a huge chunk broke free sending him spiralling backwards.

"What was that?" Atem shouted.

"My plan working!" Syrus sprawled back up and started digging at the wood under the screws, then gripped each one with his tiny hands and tugged them loose. "Now! Shove it as hard as you can!" Syrus ordered.

"On three," Atem said. They braced their hands and heads under their best estimation of where the lock was. "One."

"Three!" Yami screamed and they shoved hard. Half the metal lock rose with the mound on the wood. Syrus watched it stretch and push but the second half of the lock held strong.

"Oh, no you don't!" Syrus growled, yellow eyes flamed with determination and he grabbed the risen metal and pushed. The opposite screws loosened and Syrus smirked. He dug at the wood, like a dog with a bone, smirking each time the screw loosened.

Down below, the Mouto brothers grit their teeth and shoved so hard their palms ached and their wrists screamed at them, but all three of them braced their feet against the upper steps, straightened their knees and extorted as much force as the good at the exact moment, Syrus' sharp teeth clamped around the weakened lock and pulled.

The lock snapped, the doors flew open and Syrus screeched when he was sent flying. When the door finally gave way, their exerted force propelled the boys upward. Atem stumbled backward and landed on the ground, Yugi flopped his front half onto the grass and Yami slammed against the slant of the door.

"Yes, we're out!" Yugi cheered, climbing outside.

"Syrus," Yami called throwing his lower half outside the cellar. "Where are you?"

The tiny red dragon popped his head out of a pile of grass and debris and shook his head. "Okay!" he boasted proudly. "Let's get Phantom and get to that castle!"

XXXXX

The Sorcerer's eyes stared at the darkening colour of the moon. It faded from white to soft gold, to orange to a dark peach, to pink. He smirked with curling lips, revealing pointed fangs. His eyes narrowed to slits of malicious delight. The hour was fading quickly evident but the final splash of scarlet spread across the pink surface like blood pouring out of a flesh wound. Only when completely bloodshot would it mean the spell broke: and once the seal was broken he could _finally_ cast his curse. One hundred years he'd waited for his vengeance and now it would be his! He could taste its sweetness like wine in his mouth. He licked his lips, his tongue brushing the points of fangs. The bones in his fingers clicked and jingled with the sheer delight of gripping the shreds of the Dragon King's soul between his claws.

Oh why of all his glorious powers, did time elude him? Why couldn't there be some spell or secret that could make time move faster, or allow him to project into the future so he could witness his glorious victory, so he could enjoy the present with double the satisfaction? He wasn't entirely convinced that the magic wasn't possible.

But he was a patient man. After all, he'd waited a hundred years for that bitch's spell to finish and once it was; all her efforts would be in vain. He almost wished she was still alive so he could watch her begging and pleading with horror when her desperate attempt to stop him failed. But the Dragon King would have to do.

"Neigh!" a loud whiny rang like a gunshot in the Sorcerer's ears and immediately he spun towards the source of the sound. Just in time to see a small black horse with three passengers galloping surprisingly fast through the forest, heading straight towards the castle. And at the head was the fierce-eyed Gypsy who held the Key to sending all his brilliant planning straight to hell.

XXXXX

Yami whipped on Phantom's reigns and the horse galloped faster, causing Atem to tighten his hold around Yami's waist and Yami to increase his grip on Yugi.

"We're almost there," Syrus pointed a tiny claw from his position between Phantom's ears. "I can feel my energy returning." The horse neighed in response and increased his speed. Syrus tightened his grip. "Are you sure he can carry all of us?" Syrus asked concerned.

"Don't worry," Yugi promised. "Phantom's an Arabian, they're small but they're strong. Phantom's bigger than most so he's got more muscle than a draft horse."

"The three of us are no problem for him," Atem added a bit disgruntled to be in the back. To prove their point, Phantom raised his head proudly, lifted his front legs in a jump and leapt through the air.

"Let's take that as a yes," Yami concluded, then stroked the horse's silky mane. "We're almost there, Phantom, I can see the gate."

The horse complied and gave a final burst before slowing down just enough to stop in the courtyard, the gate still left wide open from the fleeing villagers they had seen and heard screaming from the woods ranting and raving about the castle full on monsters. The place was like a warzone. The doors were all opened, some of the great hall windows were smashed from the inside, spreading glass everywhere; the halls were alive with laugher and lights.

"I don't think we'll have to worry about the mob," Syrus said hopping down, shedding his tiny dragon from for his larger, spectral, human body.

"Right," Yami nodded, gripping Yugi's waist and hoisted the startled boy off the horse then hopped down himself, Atem last. "You two get inside, I'll take care of Phantom," Yami said, tying Phantom's reigns to the nearby gate. He smiled at Syrus worried eyes and felt a pang of guilt for his next words, "Don't worry, I'll be right behind you guys.

Syrus nodded. "Come on!" Syrus grabbed Atem and Yugi's wrists and dragged them through the glass entrance screaming, "Guys, if anyone's inside open up!" he stopped only to bang on the grand doors, until they flew open, causing Syrus to fall flat on his face.

"Where is everyone?" Atem demanded, looking around, treading carefully.

"Syrus!" Before Syrus could look up, a larger body crashed into his smaller body smothering him for several minutes. When he was allowed to breathe again, he could see Jaden's happy face cut in a huge grin. And not far behind him, he could see the rest of the staff on the second floor, Zane barrelled down the stairs seething with rage.

At the sight of Zane, Atem pulled Yugi behind him, despite his protest, until it was clear who Zane's anger was directed towards. "Where the hell have you been?" he demanded not even bothering to be civil. "Do you have any idea what your little stunt put everyone through? How worried I was?" Z ane ignored that fact that Jaden was holding him and continued to rant, but Syrus didn't look the least bit affected.

"Hey, I know you guys," Jaden ended the conversation. He pulled Syrus to his feet and walked over to Atem and Yugi, who'd remained silent during the spectacle. "You're Yami's brothers right?" Jaden asked.

"Yes!" Yugi popped up. "I remember you; you guys are the boys who helped us during the storm!"

"Wait, if you guys are here…" Jesse started then burst with excitement "That means Yami's here too! This is Fantastic!"

The company of the second floor barrelled down the stairs, excitement bursting from their translucent faces, none familiar except for Chazz and Jesse. Immediately the two brothers were bombarded with questions and introductions, all of them looking around for their missing companion. Atem tried to answer but a familiar head of purple hair froze him in his tracks.

"You!" Atem's voice was so sharp and harsh that everyone froze and followed the slits of his eyes. Miho froze under his stare, too scared to look away.

"What the hell is _she_ doing here?" Atem demanded.

"It's alright," Jesse jumped in front of him. "Miho's the one who told us about the mob coming."

"She's also part of the Rebecca's mob that locked us up and tried to force my brother to marry that bitch!"

"I know," Miho bowed her head before anyone else could. "And I'm sorry, I swear, that wasn't the real Rebecca," Miho pleaded, and stepped forward. She held out a small sapphire object to them. "It's Yami's," she said apologetically. "I grabbed it when Yami dropped it, it led me here. Please…" she started shaking. "I don't blame you for hating Rebecca, but please, she's not thinking straight, that evil man has her so full of jealousy and hatred she can't think straight!"

"Fine, so lock her up and be done with it!" Atem snapped, grabbing the box and pocketing it. He'd given back to Yami as soon as he got back inside. "Where is she?"

He'd expected an answer, instead he was met with the blank looks and exchanging glances. "She ran away with the rest of the village, didn't she?" Joey said, but in his mouth it was a question not a statement.

"We didn't see her on our ride up here," Yugi added. "We might've missed her."

"I doubt it," Miho said. "When Rebecca led that mob, there was fortitude in her entire being. When I saw her I honestly didn't think death could stop her."

"Wait, she was _leading_ the mob?" Marik shoved his way to the front. A dark thought crossed his mind. "This Rebecca, she's the duchess Yami told us about right?"

Miho and the Mouto brothers nodded. "Is she blond and was she wearing a ruined white dress?"

"Yeah," Atem snapped. "She thought she could convince Yami to marry her at that moment she sent the child broker to take Yugi away. Why?"

Marik's eyes widened, as did the rest of the staff. They'd all seen the girl who entered the palace before any of the men: her long, elegant pigtails were loose and wild, with stray strands and locks sticking out everywhere; her face was smudged and her eyes wild with anger, bloodlust and vengeance; he hands and nails rough and callous and splotched with dirt which didn't suit their dainty shape. She looked nothing like the proper, pompous lady obsessed with decorum that Yami had described.

"Um, everyone?" Duke asked. "Did anyone actually _see_ that girl leave the castle?"

No one could answer.

"Did a girl even leave?" Serenity added, she couldn't recall any other women present in the mob.

"Miho did you see her?" Téa asked.

Miho shook her head. "No, I stayed in miss Serenity's room until now."

"So, where is Rebecca?" Yugi asked innocently. When no one could answer a horrible dread swept through them.

"Oh no," he words dropped like stones in a well from Jaden's lips. Each one highlighting the terrible realization, they—even the Moutos were suddenly thinking.

"Rebecca's somewhere in the castle," Atem's question was a statement.

"Our Master's castle," Chazz finished.

"Everyone, get to the ballroom," Zane commanded, "Now!"

"Wait," Jaden said suddenly, letting go of Syrus. "Where's Yami?" he asked, seeing both his brothers but not him.

Syrus whirled around, as did Atem and Yugi. But no one saw anything, only the open doors, and Phatom's large black shape standing obediently outside the entrance house's glass front.

"He was right behind us," Atem started then growled and stomped his foot, "Oh that little...UGH!" Atem grabbed his hair and screamed, "Why doesn't that reckless idiot ever listen?"

Syrus grunted and stomped outside before anyone could stop him, screaming every profanity at the top of his lungs in every language he knew.

XXXXX

The door opened so carefully that Seto barely heard it. Only his dragon ears picked up on the silent creak. Had Chazz come back? He usually knocked before coming inside, only Malik dared to barge in, Zane was simply subtle. Cat steps pattered across the carpet, accompanied by the rustle of skirts and a barely concealed snicker. Curiosity compelled the Dragon King to look. His eyes filled with curious confusion.

"A girl?" he whispered.

The young woman creeping across the wall either hadn't noticed his attention or ignored it.

"Serenity, is that you?" he called, but the girl didn't answer. He hadn't expected her to. Even that bold and romantic servant girl respected his privacy too much to trespass.

"Serenity?" the girl repeated. Her voice was young and high, that of an adolescent on the crisp of womanhood, but the dialect was arrogant, as was the way she carried herself, and laced with something he couldn't yet identify. "Is she another one of your victims?"

At those words it became all too familiar what the girl's voice was taunting: madness. He recognized it now just as he did when the Sorcerer destroyed his life. The girl was half-mad!

The Dragon King spun into a stand. "Who are you?" he demanded.

The girl giggled, stepping out of the shadows. "I'm the one who's come to slay you, Dragon King."

Seto didn't know whether to laugh or growl. His eyes filled with equal parts of anger as he scrutinized his would-be-assassin. Wild as she looked, nothing about her warned of a threat: her tattered dress, shredded at the bottom and stained with mud and grass, was white and lacy possibly a ball gown; the wet material stuck to her skin, exposing the outline of a bodice and a young, slender frame but made it clear that the woman was not active; her muscles were soft, her hands dainty, her face with the exception of the ferocious combination of anger, jealousy, hatred and bloodlust burning in her eyes—was that of a child.

Oblivious to her purpose and the source of such negative passion directed towards him, the Dragon King folded his arms across his chest, rested his wings and tail at his side and asked "And why have you come to slay me?" His voice was polite, but in her rabid mind it was a taunt.

How dare he was all her fevered mind could scream. He'd stolen her lover and then he had the audacity to insult her. Infuriation burned in her eyes and her blood screamed for the Dragon King's blood. Her fingers clenched the handle of the knife so tightly they froze into that shape. "YOU STOLE MY LOVER FROM ME!" she screamed with anguished tears choking her voice. Her entire body shook with anger as she did.

"Lover?" Seto questioned, almost taken aback by the force of her rage and sorrow. "What are you talking about?" he demanded, disgusted by such an insult.

"Yami!" the name fell from her lips with a heartbroken sob. "You kidnapped him and poisoned him against me! Me! The Duchess of Hawkins Hallow! How could he choose you over me!"

The words spilled from her lips in rants Seto was barely able to grasp. Yami. Duchess. Hawkins Hallow. It couldn't be. His logical mind screamed that it couldn't be true. Not this murderous half-sane woman, but the facts refused to be disputed.

"You're Rebecca Hawkins?" he said it as a statement but in his mouth it was a question.

Rebecca froze for a moment. Her pride swelled with realization. Yami _had_ thought about her during his terrible incarceration. He'd mentioned her, said her name. Surely that was evidence that he had feelings for her, that he cared for her. Perhaps it had only taken the separation for Yami to realize the truth of his heart. His cold words and damning eyes burned in the back of her vision, making her shiver with hate. And that heart had been repressed by the dragon's spell.

Taking the women's silence as a confirmation, Seto had no idea what to make of the new information. His logical mind was still in denial that this woman with her dress tattered, her hair wild and her face smudged with mud and mad with love and hate, was the proper, arrogant and well-bred Lady of high society Yami had described to him. "You're much different from Yami's depiction," he joked.

"How dare you!" she went wild at the tone. "You kidnapped my true love, stole his heart, enchanted him to hate me and you have the audacity to insult me!" Her very being shook with sobs of rage. "You greedy bastard!" she cursed most unladylike until the sadness of her rant morphed from sobs to laughter. "You must have put a curse on him. Why else would he choose you over me! Did you really think he'd want a monster? Did you keep him here so you could have him all to yourself? So you could possess him? Break him? Make sure no one else could have him? Is that why you took him from me?"

Seto was taken aback by the truth in her words. He _had_ wanted to break Yami, or rather tame him. Yami was so strong and fiery and everything he wasn't and yet that day when Seto taunted him into admitting his exchange for his brothers, he'd seemed so fragile. The memory filled him with shame. In those early days he knew now he deserved Yami's contempt, even his hatred, which was what Seto really wanted: for Yami to break and fear him, hate him, scream at him, call him a monster, but Yami never did. Seto's cold words never phased him, he never flinched when Seto grabbed him or pinned him against the wall, never stopped trying to get through his thick skull.

"You're right," Seto admitted to Rebecca's shock. "I did want him all to myself. How could I not? We're such kindred spirits, but he's so much stronger than me."

"What are you saying?" Rebecca demanded unable to mask her shock with fury.

Seto laughed, unable to believe it himself. "When I was faced with my imprisonment in this form and in this castle, I shut myself away, hating the world and everyone in it, blaming it for the injustice done against me, and doing nothing to better myself. But not Yami."

"How dare you say his name?" Rebecca screamed but Seto made no move to stop.

"Even when I taunted him for exchanging himself for his siblings, he never broke, never feared me, never hated me, though I hated myself and gave him more than enough reasons to. But he never did." Seto smiled and could almost laugh at the comparison between who he was now and who he used to be. It seemed so long ago and yet it had only been six months. He remembered the anger burning in Yami's eyes that night, the night Yami's punched him and insulted Seto, even though _he_ was the one imprisoned. But he took his punishments like an adult, never tried to escape. He befriended the people around him instead of locking himself away. Instead of letting his misery consume him, Yami got up and toured the castle, let the tailors dress him up, played with the boys, rode horses with Jim, ate Bakura's food and saw right though Seto's temper tantrums and attempts to hide himself away: he was a thousand time stronger than Seto Kaiba. "I envied him for that you know, I wanted to hate him for it, but I just couldn't: I wanted him to hate me, fear me, despise me like I thought everyone else did, but he never stopped fighting. Not for me or against me—and I loved that about him, and I loved him for it."

"You what?" Rebecca's voice was a whisper, her mouth open in a voiceless scream as if the sound had been sophisticated by the sheer horror and utter shock.

"I love him," Seto repeated for himself rather than the woman screaming. A weight lifted immediately from his chest, like wings had suddenly sprouted from his heart. Admitting the words, and the truth behind them felt more real than his life prior to his curse and the draconic form he now donned. To admit it, not just to himself but to the whole universe? It was like his soul was singing. His heart fluttered, beating for the first time in his life, filling him with a joy he'd never felt before. Was this what it felt like to love someone? Truly love someone? To admit and know that it's real. Despite his collected demeanour, it nearly brought Seto to tears.

"That's why I set him free," Seto laughed, genuinely happy. "You have no idea how happy that made me, that he chose me above all else, he chose me!" Seto gloated unconsciously. The memories coupled with the realization of his feelings filled him an uncontrollable glee, making him ignorant of the girl's growing distress. "And when he wanted to leave, I hated to do it, but I did, because all I wanted was to see him happy, because I love him, huh" he ran a hand through his bangs and burst into laughter. "I can't believe I'm admitting this to _you_ of all people."

Rebecca's screams of fury halted his musings with a shock. She screamed and tore at her clothes and hair and glared at Seto with such disgust, it froze him cold. "That's a filthy lie, you unscrupulous bastard!" Rebecca shrieked with a smirk dark as pitch. "You kidnapped him! You tortured him! You raped him! You dare to call that lo-AH!"

At the word rape, Seto's dragon rage consumed him and he lunged across the room, his claws grabbed the woman's neck, dragging her level with his eyes and silencing her screams. She met the sheer rage ignited in those burning pieces of angry ice, freezing her core. "Don't. You. _Ever._ Accuse me of hurting Yami. Not _you_." His voice was dangerously low but its threat spoke more than a thousand volumes. _Not Again_.

Rebecca's terrified fingers instinctively clenched the dagger tightly, rearranging its position, unknown to the raging dragon. Its weight felt heavy in her hand but firm in her grip and poised to strike. With a quick swoop of her arm the knife came down, piercing the junction of the dragon's shoulder with such force it slid to the hilt like butter. Blinded by rage, Kaiba hadn't even noticed the blade until it struck his shoulder and hadn't felt the pain of the attack until a second later. Pain exploded like fire in his shoulder and he howled from anguish: his screech a combination of a man's and a wounded animal. He threw the Duchess to the side and backed away. His good hand flew to the dagger and tried to pull it free. Groans and grunts escaped him until he finally pulled the damned object free from his body and dropped it to the floor. He clenched the wound willing his dragon body to heal, but the rest of his body wobbled, desperate for something to hold itself steady. Rebecca's shrieking was his only warning, before a small but heavy weight ploughed into him, with such surprising force he crashed into the window. The glass shattered, raining around him and scattering on the floor, cutting his skin and scales. Seto hit the balcony stone so hard, he bounced up and rolled until he crashed into the banister. His weak hands struggled to grip the ledge, his shoulder burned, even as his body struggled to heal the wound. The hard and heavy rain pelting and freezing his skin and scales like tiny spikes didn't help. His lower body refused to cooperate: the wind knocked from his body by sheer force. Somehow Seto managed to get to his knees. His arms gripped the ledge, willing to get his body to move. Maniacal laughter exploded in his ears. When he turned his head he saw the Duchess coming towards him: her face contorted to one of twisted satisfaction brought about by insanity, the knife clenched in her hand-the blade painted red with blood-his blood-, and her murderous eyes burning with hate.

XXXXX

Yami's arms pumped at his side the faster he ran and he cursed himself for not having memorized a better layout of the castle before he left: it was too different between the inside and the outside. The front tower was where Atem and Yugi had been held captive was on the corner, so the West Wing had to be past that, he calculated and from there, Yami knew he could find the steps leading to the Ball Room balcony: and the fastest was to Seto's room was from the Ball Room.

Wind spiralled around him, blowing his bangs in his face and rain fell thick and fast even in the shelter of the towers. He paused when a particularly heavy wind nearly knocked him over. He stopped and sank the back of his heels into the ground and pulled his arms to his body, one thrown over his face to shield his head from the harsh wind and rain pelting his skin like tiny bullets. Yami tried to run but the wind was unusually strong and forced him closer to the wall.

"What the hell!?" he screamed, but his voice was lost among the caw of the wind, like a thousand cackling birds. Recognition terrified Yami into a paralysis that lasted a second. He moved to run but a loud screech exploded in his ears so loud it forced him to cover his ears. A shadow suddenly threw him against the castle wall, pinning him against it with such force he flopped to the ground.

He quickly got to his knees and tried to run but something ensnared his wrist like a root clasping dirt and slammed his body harshly against the wall, forcing the wind from his body. Yami gasped and tried to run but his wrists were shackled against the wall. He turned to meet his attacker with furious eyes and gritted teeth. Recognition terrorized him into a silence so sudden that he swore even his heart had frozen in fear.

The Sorcerer glared at him with leering eyes, darkened by lust and rage. His lips parted to laugh: a cackle so shivering Yami would've shrieked were he not suddenly paralyzed. "I knew I should've known better than to underestimate you, my clever little gypsy, or trust that stupid woman to do her job." He was laughing but his words were forced through teeth grit in frustration, and his gaunt hands were shaking so much his nails sank into Yami's wrists, breaking his paralysis long enough for him to bite back the pain.

"You're becoming quite a nuisance, my dear. And I can't have that, not when I'm so close. Not when I only have another half an hour to wait…" Insanity, desperation and unbridled anticipation burned wildly in his eyes, but his voice was laced with dilemma, torn between prurience and disquiet.

He glared at his beautiful captive with a sick combination of the two. "It seems you've created quite a problem, my lovely gypsy. You see, I cannot, under any circumstances, let you near the Dragon. I've told you before I simply _cannot_ have him thinking you love him. Especially not now, now when I'm so close...but I can't just kill you either, well...I suppose I could, but...you're so beautiful." A dark smirk curled across his lips and for a split second Yami swore he saw fangs in that smile. He shivered again, this time not in fear but disgust. The Sorcerer leaned closer to him and he tried to press himself deeper into the all to get away, but the Sorcerer's claws pierced his skin and dragged his wrists up the wall causing him to flinch and bite his lip to keep from crying out. The sorcerer didn't stop until Yami's arms were painfully stretched and held uselessly above his head. The new position triggered the alert system in the back of Yami's mind and he yanked on his wrists as hard as he could and tried to pull himself free from the wall. He moved to kick the Sorcerer but the man used his now free hand to grab Yami's thigh and slam it against the wall.

Yami growled at the touch than froze in shock when his bony fingers started moving, like a thousand tiny spiders crawling up his thighs and into forbidden territories.

"You see?" The Sorcerer licked his lips. "I have a half an hour to wait, I can't let you leave, and I can't kill you, so the solution to this little dilemma is simple," he said so sweetly and simply it made Yami sick. "I was going to wait until you officially became my consort, but I suppose it doesn't matter since the Dragon already tainted you," he said, releasing Yami's thigh and grabbed his chin, which had turned away from him and finally enclosed his own lips over Yami's furiously reluctant ones.

It took all of Yami's will not to scream, shock, horror and simple fear froze him in place leaving unable to move. Only when he felt that hand leave his chin and slide south of his hips, did his alarm bells activate his reflexes. Taking advantage of the man's distraction, Yami braced his feet on the ground, clenched onto the man's strong wrists and, with a small leap, lifted his knee and slammed it as hard as he could in his current position into the man's lower stomach. Caught by the surprise, the Sorcerer released him. Wasting no time, Yami spun to the side and kicked the man as hard as he could until the Sorcerer toppled over and then Yami ran like the hounds of hell were nipping at his heels.

An inhuman scream erupted behind him, but Yami didn't dare look back. He wasn't sure which direction he'd run but he didn't care, he had to escape. A shadow swooped behind him and suddenly a heavy force knocked him to the ground, pinning him on his stomach. Yami rolled over and screamed at the top of his lungs, kicking and punching his attacker, but the Sorcerer grabbed and clawed at his arms and clothes. "You'll pay for that, my dear," he laughed in a voice full of anger and lust, until he finally managed to grab Yami's neck and pin him to the ground. Yami's hands flew to stop him and he kicked mercilessly, but his lungs contracted without any air and finally he was forced to relax.

All he could see was the Sorcerer victorious smirk and aroused eyes. "Oh yes, you'll pay dearly."

XXXXX

Black ears went twitched with alert and the spinning of his head to the side alerted everyone that something was amiss.

"Phantom?" Syrus asked, stopping in his angry rant.

A scream suddenly filled the air, chilling Syrus' spine in familiarity.

"What was that?" Atem demanded running outside. Zane, Marik and Joey behind him.

Phantom suddenly neighed angrily, jumping up on his back legs and pulled on his reigns furiously. Syrus gasped in realization

"That was Yami!" the boy screamed rushing to untie the horses reigns. The moment they snapped free, Phantom bolted like a freight train that showed no sign of stopping.

"Follow him!" Syrus ordered, running after him, before anyone could grab him.

"Shit!" Atem screamed and whirled to the men. "Take my brother to the ballroom," he ordered and ran after Syrus.

"You heard him. Joey, get everyone inside," Zane ordered then headed after his brother. "Come on Marik," he said spreading his cyber wings and started flying, Marik not far behind.

"Right," Joey whirled around back inside, "Everyone get into the ballroom, now!" he ordered, rushing everyone inside, but one slipped past him. "Jaden!" he moved to grab the boy, but he transformed into a kuriboh and evaded his hands.

"I have to ask him," Jaden said donning his human form once again.

"What?" Joey demanded, "What could you possibly need to ask someone at a time like this?"

"Syrus!" Jaden demanded. "I have to ask him 'cause, well we might all be dead in the morning. Least this way I'll have his answer," he turned around and ran before Joey could stop him.

XXXXX

Yami's scream was followed by the crash of breaking glass, causing the Sorcerer to spin around. His eyes looked up and around but none of the windows were broken. Another scream directed his attention upwards to balcony tower located in the back west of the castle, where a familiar winged creature was half-slouched over the railing.

"What the Devil?" the Sorcerer, demanded unaware that his grip on his captive was loosening.

Overhead, Rebecca descended on the Dragon screaming and brandishing her dagger to stab him, but Kaiba spun to his feet and grabbed her wrists to stop her. She screamed and shoved her weight against him, anger made her stronger causing Seto to stumble over the balcony ledge. His claws hooked the stone and his body slammed against the buttress. Rebecca raised the knife to stab him but Seto released just in time, the blade hitting stone so hard that her hand slid forward, only the hilt kept her from cutting her hand. Seto spread his aching wings and jumped onto the tower. His claws and talons weakly grabbed the stone. His wounded arm screamed at him and his wings ached, still heavy from the glass cuts and landing on them when Rebecca shoved him to the ground. Carefully, he climbed down the tower, his claws skid against it as he slid onto the solid square of the curtain wall that acted as the roof of the West Wing, the exception being the spires roofing the jutting towers that acted as the bedrooms.

He spread his wings and glided onto the baroque wall between two of the dragon-shaped gargoyle statues and crashed limply onto the stone and rolled over, spread like a crucifix from exhaustion. The pain in his shoulder finally numbed and limb and the rest of his body slowly followed. Turning his head, between the railings he could see the enormous stain glass dome roofing the Ball Room, glittering even in the heart of the storm. But his sanctuary did not last.

Overhead, he saw Rebecca had discovered the conjoining staircase at the end of his balcony that spiralled to his very landing, and cursed himself for forgetting about it. It had been built as a secondary escape path for Royals in case of invasion. The woman launched herself down the steps after him, the knife still in her hand.

Down below, the Sorcerer watched the scene, frozen by appal, stating horrified at the mad girl, climbing towards the Dragon King.

"What the abyss is that stupid bitch doing!" the Sorcerer shrieked, letting go of Yami's neck without thinking and grabbing his hair, but he hadn't moved from his position on top of Yami. "Is she...she wouldn't-" horror suddenly struck him. "If she kills him all of my efforts will be ruined!"

Taking a moment to get air back into lungs, Yami made a fist and pouring all his rage, hatred, disgust and lust for vengeance for the horrible act the Sorcerer sought to use him for into a well-aimed punch straight into the Sorcerer's jaw. The man spiralled off him in shock. Yami quickly threw him off and got to his feet, and kicked the still stunned man in the stomach, weakening him enough for Yami to realize where he was, and ran. He cursed himself for running back the way he came and instead took off towards the Ball Room Balcony and screamed "SETO!"

At the sound of his name, Seto gripped the ledge of the fence and pulled himself to his feet, his weak body screaming at him, but suddenly felt rejuvenated by life when his sharp eyes caught a miraculous sight: Yami standing at the foot of the Ball Room balcony steps. His wet hair mopping his head, his clothes were torn and scratches marked his arms, and he was speckled from head to toe in dirt, but to Seto he looked more radiant than he'd ever seen him. And draped over his being was the coat he'd worn the night they'd danced, the night they'd made love, and around his neck was the chocker Seto had given him when Yami promised to be his. And he was here. Yami was _here_!

Yami stopped when he saw Seto looking at him, even from that distance, Seto's sparkling blue eyes bore into his soul with such depth it was like he was standing right in front of him. Taking in the blood on his shoulder, the cuts marking his scaled arms and flesh and his dropped wings, it didn't take Yami long to figure out what happened. His suspicions were confirmed when a scream directed his attention towards Rebecca who landed, ungracefully, onto the roof, a knife in her hand.

Terror coursed through Yami's veins, then anger. "Rebecca!" Yami screamed, loud enough to catch her attention.

At the sound of his voice, Rebecca spun around. She gasped in shock and horror when she saw Yami standing there just below her. But at the same time her sanity returned and her heart fluttered. He came. He came for _her._ He came to watch her slay the monster.

She smiled at him, but when he saw her, his eyes hardened, his brow furrowed in rage and his lips formed a line of disdain.

When he met Seto's eyes again they blazed with so much fire and determination that Seto felt his heart falling in love with him all over again.

"What are you doing, Seto?" Yami scolded, stomping his foot and fisting his arms straight at his sides. "Why aren't you fighting her back? Are you giving up? You're Seto Kaiba! You're the Dragon King! You never stop fighting! Never! So don't you dare start now! Get up and beat her!" he screamed at him, furious and encouraging all at once.

Seto blinked for a bit stunned not by the brazen in the words but at the words themselves. Did Yami really think he'd given up? Granted he hadn't wanted to hurt the girl, but looking at his wounds he realized he'd barely tried to fight her. Was it really is obvious to Yami? Did he know him that well? Seto nearly smack himself. Of course Yami did.

"Don't you dare give up, now that I'm finally back," Yami smiled at him. Seto returned it.

Rebecca, forgotten in the exchange watched the scene with horror. Frozen by the look Yami was giving Seto. Of the smile on his face: a true genuine, happy, loving smile she's have sold her very soul to have him give her. Her screams broke Seto's serenity and she lunged at him. He spun around, barely dodging her strike and felt the knife nick his fleshy side. He screamed and covered the wound, and cursed loudly. Only this time, he didn't retreat. Dragon rage galvanized his limbs, sharpened his claws and pumped energy into his muscles, and her stood firmly and released a thunderous roar.

Rebecca stumbled as if the ground shook from the sounds. Seto smirked feeling the wind and rain whip around him as if obeying his every command. His tail slammed on the ground next to him, his wings flexed to life and his heart pounded in chest. His claws subconsciously tapped the sapphire about his neck, a blue and silver twin to Yami's. A promise that Seto was just as much Yami's as Yami was his. The realization and the strength of that promise sent a bust of lightning through his being so strong, his entire form surrounded with dancing blue and white light.

The Dragon King was ready to fight.

XXXXX

Yami cursed when Seto and Rebecca disappeared deeper into the roof outside his line of vision but if the thunderous roar was any indication Seto hadn't given up yet. Yami smirked, proud of his accomplishment and moved to take his first step

"You!" the Sorcerer screeched, grabbing Yami by the back of his neck and slammed him hard against the stone wall with such force Yami felt his bones crack and his body drop. The Sorcerer's wild eyes burned with fury and fear, all of it directed at Yami, but the lust was still evident, and the war between the three emotions raged in his eyes.

His fingers felt something hard and curiously the Sorcerer lowered his hand. His eyes widened in horror when the source of his pain revealed itself to be a gold chocker decorated with dragons and roses curling around a rose-shaped ruby pendant. His eyes widened with recognition and rage reddened his eyes.

"You stupid whore!" the Sorcerer slapped him so hard Yami's head spun to the side and his cheek hit the stone wall. His hands flew to pry the Sorcerer's thorny hands from his neck, and scratched wildly but the man's grip remained firm.

"I'm so close!" the Sorcerer screamed, dragging Yami down to his level, pressing his back deeper against the stone. Yami weakly howled as the stone grated his back, and shivered at the satisfaction on the Sorcerer's face. "Why must you do this? Why must you wear his mark?" he cursed achingly and desperate. "I want you so much, but I'm so close..." Red energy suddenly crackled in his hand, dictating Yami's attention away from it and onto the dangerous electricity. "I can't take the risk you'll ruin my plan." He raised the sphere of energy level with his head, aiming it directly at Yami. Realizing what was happening, Yami screamed again and kicked and clawed but none of his limbs were close enough to strike him.

The Sorcerer would've laughed at his attempts but instead looked at him sadly, but there was no regret in his eyes. His frown was possessive and angry, like he was being forced to surrender his favourite toy in exchange for a far better prize.

"Goodbye, my beautiful gypsy," he said, as the red energy started to tumble from his hand. Yami screamed, but internally blinked when thousands of thumping beats at a galloping pace filled his hears: faint then thundering, followed by a loud familiar sound.

"NEIGH!" The odd sound distracted the Sorcerer enough for him to turn towards its source. At that very moment, a powerful, black shape ploughed right into his chest. The force sent him flying backwards like with a screech of shock. His blast fired, but its aim was destroyed and struck nothing but air and Yami dropped to the ground.

A proud whiny confirmed Yami's saviour, "Phantom!" The stallion neighed at his name and took a protective stance in front of his master. Phantom whined angrily, reared himself onto his back legs and kicked his front legs forward. The Sorcerer ignored the warning and swooped about the beast like a bird's shadow, vibrant red energy crackling angry and determined between his fingers. Phantom was quicker and kicked his legs forcing the Sorcerer to double-back to avoid the feigning limbs and sharp hooves. Phantom stomped his powerful legs again and again, neighing and trampling the ground with his its sharp hooves angrily. The Sorcerer growled every time his back hit the ground and screamed when the horse came for him. Barely dodging the angry horse with a roll across the ground, the horse gave him little time to recover and quickly he scrambled to his feet and ran; the horse not far behind chasing him and kicking his limbs but never leaving Yami's side long enough.

When The Sorcerer was a safe distance away, Phantom snorted at the prone figure and returned his attention to his rider. He neighed lightly and gently nudged his companion with his nose.

"Thanks, Phantom," Yami hugged the horse's neck. Phantom affectionately nipped his shoulder and rubbed the boy's cheek. Suddenly, his ears perked and Phantom jumped again but this time, he gently shoved Yami away.

Red light exploded inches from his nose, singing Yami's bangs. Yami's heart sank when he heard a loud whiny of pain and saw Phantom kicking his front legs wildly before finally settling down on his back legs, to take the effort of his front ones. Yami's heart sank further at the red froth streaks decorating the horses black legs and in the rain he couldn't tell how deep they were.

"Stupid beast!" the Sorcerer growled, but it was laced with travesty. Pink smoke sizzled from his fingers and red lightning hissed in his free hand. "Next time it should stay out of my way!" he said standing and laughing and stepping closer.

Phantom tried to get up, but Yami jumped in front of him spreading his arms wide like a crucifix. "You Bastard!" The man's smirk ignited a combustion under Yami's skin. His blood boiled, his brow furrowed and his face scrunched with determined rage.

The Sorcerer didn't even flinch. "I'm sorry my dear," he said in a mock apology. "I want you to be mine, I still do…but I've come too far to let you and your pets come between me and my long deserved victory. Besides," he chuckled. "You killed two of my pets…" Lightning crackled dangerously, highlighting the wicked smirk he wore. "It's only fair I kill yours."

"Over my dead body!" Yami yelled, defiantly. His fists blazed with angry blue flames at his sides, filling the dark area with light. Fire and heat filled his body, outlining his figure in a soft glow. He smiled at the blue fire in his hands but this time he felt no rage or terror. He smirked at the Sorcerer, his fingers clicking with fire that was alive and wild.

Yami said nothing, instead he stepped forward.

The Sorcerer stared at him, stunned then quickly regained his composure, and laughed tauntingly, "What are you up to now, little-"

"IAH!" A stream of electric blue fire spiralled into the air with Yami's cry increasing in size and donning the shape of a massive dragon snapping its jaws and striking.

The Sorcerer screamed and threw his cloak over his body, but the force struck home and sent him flying, his cloak survived but had been burned black with ash, and only the wet mud and rain spared the man from suffering the same fate. "Damn-" the Sorcerer began but Yami didn't give him a change to recover.

"Iah!" Yami cried releasing another flaming sphere. The Sorcerer jumped like a wound up spring. An explosion and blue smoke was all the remained of the ground where he once was. A second gale quickly followed: a chain of bolts and embers raining from the sky. The Sorcerer danced to dodge them and screeched in pain and rage each time once struck his skin and clothes. Soot and black burns dyed his wine coloured clothing black and red.

He howled in rage and began red lighting chaotically and without aim but Yami bolted into a run luring the strikes away from Phantom and dodged them by diving onto the shelter of the stairway's balcony. The Sorcerer hit nothing but stone.

"Damn you!" The Sorcerer screamed charging a sphere of lightning between his hands, his eyes wild with hate and fixed on Yami, who simply smirked. Yami fired a chain of blue bolts instead, forcing the Sorcerer to abandon his attack. The blast knocked him backwards and sent him sliding across the mud. When he stood again red light burst from his body. Blinded by rage he pounced like a rabid animal. A second assault struck his side and he crashed to the ground.

Yami smirked, balancing blue fire without fear in his hands, shot up and screamed "IAH!"

His flaming dragon returned in full force and struck the Sorcerer before he could see it. The man screamed! Blue fire consumed his body and he rolled and screeched and clawed at his hair and clothes. Shadows danced about his body until he finally swooped like a red shadow into the woods.

"Phew!" Yami crashed to his knees, his flames finally extinguishing. "That was close."

"Yami!" Yami whirled around and ran to Phantom's side. Syrus sprinted over followed closely by Zane and Marik. Phantom pushed himself to his feet and strolled up to Syrus who greeted the horse with a hug. "Good boy," Syrus stroked the horse's side and smiled when Phantom nuzzled his cheek.

"Are you alright?" Zane demanded of Yami. "We heard you screaming."

"Yeah, I'm alright," Yami nodded.

"What did I miss?" Jaden flopped forward, unwittingly commanding the attention onto himself. Barely standing, half his body was held up only by the support of the wall. His voice was all breath and he swallowed large gulps of air like he'd run a marathon.

Atem shoved forward, his eyes red with rage. "Yami," at the harsh use of his name, Yami turned only to feel Atem's heavy hand slam across his cheek with such force, his head spun to the side.

"Atem!" the four spectres yelled shocked.

Yami said nothing and instead turned to his still raging brother, slightly stunned.

"You. Are. The _dumbest_, most reckless, careless, irresponsible…ugh!" Atem scolded, each word was punctured with fury. "First you run off _by yourself_, almost get killed and now _this_!" his volume increased with every fault, and Yami took it all without swaying. He expected Atem to punch him again. He wouldn't blame Atem if he did. Instead, Atem grabbed his shoulder and squeezed it with trembling fingers and stared into Yami eyes with scarlet orbs unusually bright with worry. "When are you going to start _thinking_ before you act?"

"Atem…" Yami tried to speak but the words died in his throat.

"What happened here?" Marik demanded noticing Yami's weak state and the blood on his clothes. "Is that blood?"

"It's not mine?" Yami said immediately. "It's Phantom's."

"What!?" Atem screeched checking the horse for wounds. "How did?"

"The Sorcerer," Yami spat. At the words no one needed further explanation. "That son of a bitch tried to kill me again and Phantom saved me. His legs are cut."

"Let me see," Marik gently shoved Atem over and drew a bottle from him cloak. He pulled off the cork with his teeth and dumped the contents over the bloody parts of Phantom's legs. He, Atem and Yami almost fell back when Phantom stomped his hooves.

"Hold him!" Marik ordered.

Immediately, Atem and Yami were at the horse's sides, stroking his mane and petting his nose.

"It's okay, Phantom," Syrus added, stroking the horse's sides.

"I need some bandages," Marik said.

"Jay give him your cloak," Syrus suggested

"Oh right," Jaden obeyed untying the garment and handed it to Marik. The guardsman nodded and bit the fabric then ripped it into two parts, one he used to wipe away the blood and liquid. Once he saw where the cuts were, he took the cleaner piece and ripped it into strips. Pouring more liquid in the centre he tied the soft cloths around the horse's cuts. "That should do it," he said getting up and stroked the horse's mane in apology. "They look like shallow cuts, but I'm no Jim. I'll have him look at them in the morning but for now, he should be alright."

"What was that stuff?" Yami asked, sceptical of anything used on his horse.

"This," Marik held up the bottle, "Is Duke's cure for preventing infections. I believe you're familiar with it?"

Yami's hands ached in remembrance of that burning liquid scolding away the blood and any bacteria from his cuts when he punched his bathroom mirror. Immediately, he hugged Phantom's neck, sharing an unbridled sympathy with the horse for burning sensation he must've felt when Marik treated his wounds.

"What's that for?" Atem asked.

"Back in the day, all soldiers in the field were required to keep a bottle of this stuff in case they got injured, back when infection killed more than blades or bullets," Marik explained. "But worry about it later," Marik ordered. "We have to get you to Seto, now!"

"Right!" Yami turned on his heels and raced up the stairs.

"Yami wait!" Atem called after him. "What did I just say about!?" He growled until Zane placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't bother; I've given up trying to get Syrus to listen to me when he's like that."

"Enough yapping," Marik commanded. "_He_ could still come back, Zane, you take Atem and the boys to the ball room. Meet everyone there, I'll take Phantom to the barn, I have to scan the perimeter anyway. I doubt that bastard will stay down long," Marik ordered, taking the horses' reins and gestured him to follow.

The horse turned to Atem who nodded. "It's okay boy, Marik's going to take you to safety alright?"

"Don't worry, Phantom, Marik knows the way," Syrus assured him with a pet to his side. The horse accepted the boy's words and nudged the Guard towards the castle. Marik took the reins and urged the horse to follow, quickly but mindful of his legs. "Don't worry I'll make sure he gets there safe," he promised with a jog in his steps, Phantom close behind.

Once he and Phantom were safely out of sight Atem charged up the steps, Zane close behind.

"Come on," Zane called over his shoulder.

"Right," Syrus nodded intending to follow his older brother, but Jaden grabbed his arm.

"Syrus wait!" Jaden said. "I have to ask you something!"

"Ask me on the way, Jay, we have to get to the ballroom," Syrus suggested but Jaden cut him off.

"No it can't!" Jaden yelled, his voice laced with worry and Syrus saw he was shaking. "Look, I have to tell you something, and I can't later because we might not be here in the morning and you can think about it on the way but I just have to know now, okay?"

Syrus stopped, stunned. All their lives he'd never seen Jaden so nervous. Jaden who was always smiling and energetic and full of life and never afraid of anything: what could possibly be so difficult that Jaden couldn't feel the need to ask him, his lover?

"Okay," Syrus smiled, assuringly. "What do you want to ask me?"

XXXXX

Yami had never been so happy to see the ballroom in his entire life. On instinct he raced to the steps to the West Wing and raced up the stairs. He faintly heard his name echoing in the background but he ignored them and continued his quest. He wouldn't stop until he saw Seto again. Even now his heart pounded in his chest and his very soul ached, and the thought of seeing Seto filled him with a delight he hadn't felt sense he realized Seto and his dream lover were one in the same. Even now his mind swirled and his heart lightened at the realization.

Seto love him, Yami knew that more than anything. And Yami loved Seto. Truly loved him. Loved him enough to give Seto his heart because he knew Seto would never break it. Trusted Seto with command over his very soul and being because he knew he was safe in Seto's arms. Loved him so much he felt like he owned the world and at the same time would give it up in an instant if he could just be with Seto for the rest of his life. He loved Seto. He _loved_ him. The truth and reality of it felt so wonderful, Yami couldn't help but stop and laugh.

"I love him," Yami admitted wiping tears from his eyes. "I really do."

His feet suddenly picked up speed, his body just as determined as his heart and mind to reunite with the missing piece of his soul. "And I'll be damned if he died before I told him," Yami said, his words fiery with determination.

A loud roar redirected his attention away from his musing. A bolt of lightning exploded from the ceiling. Yami jumped out of the way and covered his head in a ball in defence against the falling rubble. When he un-wove himself the storm poured from overhead. Yami rushed to the window. Lighting flashed clear and close and clearly not that of the storm.

"They're on the roof!" Yami deducted and ran as fast as he could. His heart sank when he found Seto's room, the door wide open and the window shattered. Ignoring the furious wind and the rain hammering against his skin, he jumped through the broken window, mindful of the glass and rushed to the balcony. He'd been on it so many times before and knew Seto's balcony looped almost completely around the tower of his room. He ran the whole length of the balcony searching for the two, but only when he reached a dead end did he see them: Seto, half flying and half gliding in the air and between the statues, lighting blazing in his hands. Blood dripped from cuts on his arms and one on the side of his ribs. Across from him Rebecca stood half wild and stark raving mad, her dagger dyed crimson with blood and the remains of her dress was seared on the ends and cuffs. She dove at Seto like a wild animal and he dodged her attacks by spinning in the air, but every time he made a grab for her she whirled around with inhuman speed and nicked his appendages.

Half-angry and half-horrified, Yami leaned over the gate desperate for any means of getting down to the lower roof. He found his answer when he found the other end of Seto's balcony moulding into a set of stairs spiralling towards the lower lever and a good four feet gap between the two ends. Ignoring every inch of common sense and precaution he had, Yami hiked his lower half over the balcony and wove his feet in between the gaps of the railing, his hands and arms, securely hugged the end, and carefully he stepped around the turn of the corner.

"Don't look down, Yami. Don't look down," he commanded himself, biting his lip, and carefully turned his heels so they were in the back, then turned his hips and the rest of his body soon followed. His arms held firm to the railing for dear life. He stared at the gap between the two railings which suddenly seemed twice as far now, and inhaled an extremely large, sharp breath. Forcing himself to keep his eyes open he bent his knees and before he could second guess himself he jumped with a small yell. His limbs flailed wildly, desperate to grab the stone, his finger brushed the stone and he projected his body forward, and landed half on the railing half off.

The commotion caused both Seto and Rebecca to turn. Their hearts dropped at the sight.

"YAMI!" Seto screamed, watching as the boy held on to the railing for dear life, his feet scrambling to find their footing, until Yam finally flipped himself over the railing. His back hit the stone steps as he rolled over. "Ugh!" he hissed from the pain of the impact the corners, pinching his spine. "Geez!" he screamed, and forced himself to stand up.

When he did so, he saw Seto staring at him half relieved and half furious. "What the Hell did you think you were doing?" Seto screamed flapping into the air, away from the still stunned Rebecca and level with a guilty looking Yami.

"Um..hehe," Yami blushed guilty, suddenly brought back to the time he and Yugi had tried—and failed—to hide one of their mothers broken vases. He grunted to clear his throat and replied. "Saving you?" he said with a smile.

Seto smacked his forehead. He flexed his wings and parachuted down to the edge of the steps where Yami ran to meet him. He gave Seto no time to scold him and instead ran into his arms and wrapped the man in a strong hug. The force was so sudden that Seto took a step back to keep himself from falling.

"Hey?" Seto asked confused and gently shook the boy's shoulder.

When Yami looked up, his eyes were wet but strong, his mouth form a firm line and he furiously brushed his wet bangs from his face, keeping them from marring the commanding image he sought. "Don't. _Ever._ Scare me like that again, or if some crazy, jealous, jilted lover doesn't kill you I will!"

Seto blinked at the outburst, then relaxed his shoulders and shook his head with a small smile. "What am I going to do with you?" Seto chuckled, stroking a stray bang behind Yami's ear. "I still can't believe you came back."

Yami gave him a small glare at that. "Did you ever doubt that I would?" he said accusingly but there was a small smile on his face. A promise to keep his word, especially to one so precious. It made Seto's heart flip.

"I knew you would, I truly did…" He stroked Yami's cheek softly. "I was just afraid you'd be too late."

_He means the curse,_ Yami realized. "I actually wanted to talk to you about that," he said gently taking hold of Seto's talons, and clenching his paw. They were so close now, and only moments ago he came so close to losing Seto forever, and losing his own life. Looking into the man's draconic eyes the exact same colour as the eyes of the man's he'd been dreaming about. No, not dreams, he remembered. Premonitions. As if somehow fate herself had guided him here. They might not get another chance. He had to take the first step. If Yami was to tell Seto the truth it had to be now. The boy stiffened his form, gathered his courage took a breath and said "Seto, I-"

"Get your hands off him, you repulsive beast!" The insult destroyed the moment, forcing the couple back to reality and to the task at hand. Rebecca narrowed her dull green eyes at the sight: half cocky and half angry. She stomped over, her step carried more sophistication in Yami's presence but the knife was held firm in her hand. Sensing what was coming, Yami rushed forward, and spread his arms wide, perched between Seto and Rebecca.

Rebecca stopped at the action clearly surprised. She smiled cockily flashing a triumphant smirk at the dragon than at Yami. "My darling," she said dreamily, expecting a reaction but Yami held his neutral mask firm.

Quickly she brushed her hair from her face, ignoring the mud and blood speckling her ruined dress. "I'm so sorry you had to see me like this," she apologized with earnest. "But I promise, once the beast is dead we can finally be together. We can get married and live happily ever after just like we always—"

"There is no _we_, Rebecca!" Yami thundered with such force that Rebecca nearly jumped. Lowering his arms and not removing his gaze from her Yami said with such gravity in his eyes, in his face and in his voice that even Rebecca could not deceive herself into believing he was spelled. "There never was a _we_ and there will never be a _we_! Maybe once I called you a friend, Rebecca, but no more! Not after this! Not after all you've done! And if you even think of hurting Seto again you'll have to go through me!" he said defiantly.

Rebecca could only stare at he spoke. She trembled at his words partly in fear, partly in shock, partly in remorse. "Why? Why? WHY!" she demanded screaming in rage and hurt. "Why do you say that monster's name!?"

"He's _not_ a monster," Yami cut her off with an enraged snarl in his dangerously low voice. A dark smirk twisted across his features. "I told you already, Rebecca, there is only one monster here, well," he corrected himself, "Two technically, the Sorcerer and _you_. Seto has more humanity than you could ever have!"

Yami's words were like a whiplash so hard that even the storm was nearly silent in comparison. To Seto, they were the most beautiful words he'd ever heard uttered. It was only because of Yami he'd come to accept that he was not a monster, least not in the sense that he believed he was, but to hear Yami confirm his humanity, confirm that he wasn't a beast or a creature but a human man… His body and soul had never felt so weightless. So free. So pure. But to Rebecca it was like the antagonizing bite of a whip had slashed across her heart, slicing away the layers of fantasy and walls of the fairy tale she had built for herself and revealing the crumbling, blackened truth she'd tried so hard to cover-up and ignore.

"Are…are…" she chocked on the words, unable to voice them, as if just _saying_ them would mean they were actual truth. "Are you saying that…you…you…you'd choose _him_ over me?" she raised a shaking finger towards Seto, the dagger dropped limply from her hand.

Yami grinned. "Oh heavens no, Rebecca, I'd _never_ choose Seto over _you_." Sarcasm dripped from Yami's words, though Rebecca didn't catch it and her eyes brightened, however, Seto did and smirked when Yami added "I'd choose Seto over all the wealth, glory, and power on earth; you, however, I'd choose a _cockroach_ over you!"

The words were like the rock that shattered the glass window of Rebecca's mind. Blinded by rage, by hate, by the _look_ that the Dragon King was giving Yami, Rebecca charged forward like a bull, screaming. Seto glared at her and moved to attack, but Yami shoved him out of the way, placing himself directly in Rebecca's crossfire. The woman slammed into the boy with surprising force. Yami slammed into the railing so hard his upper body flew over the opening in the railing. The rest of his weight followed and he fell through air with a scream. "SETO!"

The second Yami hit the wall, Seto roared and dashed across the lot, his wings expanding in mid run. He jumped onto the ledge, hopping into the air and pulled his wings to his sides diving like a hawk towards his target. Yami reached towards him and Seto flew faster. Their fingers barely brushed, before Seto's claws clasped Yami's wrist and he pulled the boy against his chest and whirled around, concealing them in the sheltering cocoon of his wings. His back hitting the stain glass and it shattered beneath their combined weight.

XXXXXX

Syrus didn't know what to make of Jaden's request. Even as they walked up the steps and found them in the Ball Room. The musing of the rest of the staff: Atem arguing with Zane and Marik over Yami's safety, Yugi questioning Mai and Ryou about the same issue, Miho desperate for information from Téa and Serenity, the Maître de attempting and failing to maintain order, even Jesse and Chazz calling his and Jaden's names: it was all muted in the aftermath of his lover's request.

"Jaden…you're serious about this right? This isn't heat of the moment, we almost died or we're about to. If we survive this and we wake up like nothing happened. Your feelings won't change?"

Jaden neutral mask had not faded since he'd waited for Syrus answer, but at those words his brow furrowed and his mouth formed a frown. He gently grasped Syrus' shoulders and bore his rich chocolate eyes into Syrus' bright and confused quicksilver. "I've never been more serious about anything in my entire life, Syrus." The use of his full name only confirmed Jaden's conviction. "I've been thinking about it for a while, but…I always got cold feet, but I don't want to wait anymore. It doesn't matter if you say yes, or no, I just want you to know that that's how I feel. You're the only one I want, Syrus Truthsdale."

The words nearly brought Syrus to tears. Feeling bold and not caring who was looking, Syrus grabbed Jaden's shoulders and pulled him into a deep kiss. Neither he nor Jaden were sure how long it lasted. Given the time it couldn't have been long, but to them it felt like a small moment of eternity was theirs and theirs alone. When they finally pulled away, Syrus smiled.

"Consider that my answer," he said giddily.

"So that's a yes?" Jaden teased, almost unable to contain his exuberance.

Syrus playfully punched him and hugged his chest. "Of course it is!"

The two of them laughed blissfully unaware they'd attracted the room's attention until Chazz screamed "Guys!" The two froze and suddenly blushed. Stares of confusion, congrats, laughter and—in the case of Zane—a twist of the eyes scrutinized them.

"Uh," Jaden laughed, half-guilty. "I know this is a bad time and all, but-"

A loud roar cut Jaden off and dragged their gazes upward—just in time to see the Dragon King crash through the roof and the stain glass ceiling shatter. Rainbow coloured glass remained suspended in mid-air for a brief second. The Dragon King spiralled in through the air, determined not to lose his grip on his precious cargo. Down below the danger became sudden.

"Everybody hit the dirt!" Jim yelled. The staff scattered: Jaden grabbed Syrus and shoved him into a corner away from the sharp rain. Jim dove on top of Jesse and Jaden, Téa grabbed Serenity and Miho and held them to her chest, the three girls sheltered by Duke who quickly transformed into his knight form. Joey and Mai grabbed the other and dove out of the way: Yugi between them, and Zane flexed his wings shielding Atem with his metal appendages.

Kaiba and Yami spiralled to the ground. In mid-air Seto rolled over and flexed his wings like a parachute. The air caught beneath thing caused a whiplash making both their bodies jolt. They crashed to the ground, Seto landing on his knees before they both flopped, Yami on his back, Seto on his stomach, fragmented glass raining around them.

"Is everyone alright?" Jim asked. The staff removed themselves from their shelters and turned their attention towards the duo in the centre. Both of them groaned, and moved into sitting positions.

"Ow, that was not fun," Seto joked until a sharp whack struck the back of his head. "Hey! What was that for?" he demanded of Yami confused.

"You just crashed through a window, Seto!" Yami scolded. "And you're hurt! You could've died!"

"I was trying to save _your_ life!" Seto argued back. "A crazy woman pushes you off a balcony, what did you expect me to do?"

"Catch me but you didn't have to fall through a _window_, Seto," Yami countered. "Look at your wings, how are you not bleeding?"

"I'm a dragon for God's sake," Seto corrected. "I have scales! I don't get hurt like a normal person does."

"Still!"

"I was fine!"

"I don't care! You're still hurt, you still could've-" Yami tried to protest further but Seto cut him off with a quick kiss. Shocked into silence, Yami blinked.

Seto laughed at the response. "What am I going to do with you?" he asked, running his claws through Yami's hair.

"Yami!" The boys turned to the source of the voice. Seto growled and jumped to his feet. Rebecca grabbed her chest, breathing exhaustedly and forced herself down the steps of the West Wing. Yami had no idea how she managed to get there so fast but if her flushed face, open mouth, and loud breaths were any indication she'd ran. "My God…" she shrieked with tears in her eyes and her face consumed by guilt. "You…you almost…and I…"

"You stupid bitch!" a stroke of lighting and the screech of a dying bird were the only indication that someone else had entered the room. The figure stormed up the balcony steps, growling like a beast and swooped across the room towards the Duchess, and swiftly backhanded her across the face.

"I told you to keep him _away_ from the Dragon, that was all!" the Sorcerer screeched at the stunned girl, lying on the floor, a trembling hand rose to touch her reddening cheek. The man shrieked and ripped at his hair, glaring at Seto, how pulled Yami behind him, and the staff who grabbed the Mouto brothers and retreated to the back of the room behind their Master, Téa held tight to Miho, who struggled in her arms.

"I should've known better then to trust a worthless woman," the Sorcerer spat. "I gave you one, measly job and you failed! Worse you tried to deny me my vengeance! You were such a perfect pawn..." his voice was full of rage and pity.

"Pawn…vengeance…what are you talking about?" Rebecca trembled.

The Sorcerer laughed at her confusion. "Oh come now, girl, are you really this stupid? You didn't think I honestly cared about your little unrequited love did you? Why would I ever allow such a beautiful specimen as he to be chained to a useless little girl such as yourself? Now, this was about my vengeance! My vengeance I have waited a hundred years for!" His voice echoed insanely then he turned to the girl with raging eyes. "And you almost _ruined_ it, when you tried to kill the dragon!"

"But…but…" Rebecca struggled to her feet; her hand skimmed the wall as she shied away from the mad man. "Yami was enchanted? You said so yourself, if the dragon died, he'd be free, he'd be mine again?"

The Sorcerer laughed mockingly. "You did your part in keeping the boy away. I couldn't possibly have Kaiba-boy thinking, little Yami actually loved him could I? That would ruin all of my plans. Just like I couldn't let you kill Kaiba. After all, I can't claim his soul if he's dead, now could I?

"You…you…you…" Rebecca couldn't speak.

"Your part is done, wench," he snarled harshly. "Now go home to your useless town and accept the superiority of your new king!" He laughed.

Rebecca collapsed to the ground, tears of horror and shame poured down her face. Miho sprang free form Téa's grip and rushed to her side enveloping the girl in a hug. Only then, did Rebecca break down and scream. Téa and Mai rushed over and dragged them both into the safety with the staff. The atmosphere changed immediately. Half of them wore looks of fear, others of hate, but none of them moved. Only Seto seemed unaffected by the sudden nameless dread of the man's presence.

"I should've known you were behind this," Seto snarled at the man in red, catching his attention. "Only you would think of something this low!"

A smirk danced across the Sorcerer's face. "Oh Kaiba don't be so harsh." He expelled another taunting laugh, his eyes glued on Yami barely visible from the shelter of Seto's wings. "Especially since you had to involve such a wonderful specimen into our little spat. A real shame," he said looking at Yami, his eyes full of pity. "You would've made me such a lovely consort, if only you'd let me save you."

"Why don't you quit the charade and tell the girl who you really are," Set commanded, flexing his wings in rage, and gales of confidence blowing in their wake, "Zigfried!"

The name echoed like a stone dropping into a well. Even the storm outside silenced. At first the Sorcerer said nothing. His face lowered, concealed by the shadow of his hood. Then s snort broke the silence, followed by a chuckle, then a laugh, until a cacophony of maniacal laugher burst free from the man's being and he ripped his ruined hood away revealing a curtain of pale pink hair. "I'm pleased to know you haven't forgotten me, Kaiba, after all this time!"

The revelation of his name was like the unhinging of a lock. The final piece Yami needed to solve the puzzle, "Seto, is he…"

"Yes, Yami," Seto answered, his glare fixated on the man who destroyed his life. "Zigfried von Schroeder the last heir to the previous ruling family. He's the one I was trying to protect you from. The one who cursed me and this castle!"

* * *

And VICTORY IS MINE! MWAHAHAHAHA!And with that this story has broken over 30 chapters, 371 pages on word and over 600 reviews! (Angel choir)

That's right Ladies and possible gents, the Sorcerer is none other than our own hated Zigfried von Schroeder, some of you got it, others missed the mark and I had WAY too much fun leading you all on, seriously how many of you thought it was Amelda? Looking back that would've been a super good plottwist but at the time I thought it was too obvious and in retrospect, I was right. Plus Amelda is all rage, Ziegfried is much more flamboyant, dramatic and more tragic hero which was way more fun to work with but there you are! Comments please?

I also wanted to state, the section where Ziegfried molested Yami, I'll admit that was a hard part to write simply cause I didn't like doing it but let's be honest who does? Plus Yami's more than capable of defending himself, but anyway more than once I tried to address that it happened but every time i did it just came out wrong or sounded awkward or messed up the flow so finally i decided that this isn't the first time Ziegfried has tried it and tried to kill Yami and both he and Seto know Ziegfried wants to sleep with Yami, and we all also know Seto would castrate him before he got the chance so finally I just decided it was already known so I didn't feel the need to comment on it again, but I will have Seto ask Yami about it just to make sure he's okay, but just something i wanted to point out.

Also I want to say i am SO proud of how Rebecca came out this chapter, i swear the parts with her and Seto where the funnest and easiest to write (coincidentally the parts with Yami where the ones that gave my hell and had all the continuity issues i had to fix, especially in the beginning-I swear i'd like force myself to write and then the second i was done or looked at it again i realized I hated it, re-read earlier chapters and fixed it) anyway, I mean at this point its pretty obvious Rebecca has gone over the deep end, total bat shit crazy but I also wanted to show that her feelings for Yami are genuine and that her insanity wasn't just jealousy and rage but also pain, hurt and rejection and I'm proud to say I pulled it off. But like I said I'm making her a 3-d character (which came as just as much of a surprise to me as it did any of you-DO NOT EXPECT THAT WITH VIVIAN WONG IN THE FUTURE-just saying. So I like how therealization of just how bad the Sorcerer plaid her was really what broke her...

Also I've gotten questions about Phantom so before anyone says its not safe for a horse to carry 3 people: I looked this up out of concern for the same reason: Phantom is an Arabian Stallion, they are small horses, barely over 5 feet, though Phantom is a wild one so they grow slightly bigger to cope with the desert, but they are VERY powerfully muscles horses, in fact they are some of the strongest horses in the world and a full grown, prime stallion like Phantom can carry as much as 800 lbs! So like i said carrying three slim Mouto siblings and tiny Dragonroid Syrus would be no problem. I also wanted to say one of my favorite scenes is the one where Phantom saves Yami from the Sorcerer: animals are incredible creatures they have hearts and souls and if you love them enough THEY will always be there for you!

With that I'd like to ask you all to take a moment to read over and sign this peition to improve the conditions of animal shelters in New York City which is notorious for its KILL policy: **_www dot change dot org/ petitions/governor-cuomo-mayor-bloomberg-council-speaker-christine-quinn-international-plea-to-urgently-reform-new-york-city-animal-care-control#_** (remember to replace dots and remove spaces) This link was provided from the Pets on Death row organization on facebook where people spread the world about shelter cats on the Kill-list in need of a good home and the conditions are horrible so we're hoping with enough signatures we can raise Governor attention. As many of you know my dog Blaze passed away, and recently I've become very passionate about this organization because Blaze was a rescue, so please sign this petition and spread the world to everyone you know! it takes less than five seconds: THE LINK IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON MY PROFILE!


	32. Chapter 31: The Twelth Hour

YES! FINALLY! Okay, before I say anything I have a VERY IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!:

**If you haven't signed this petition yet PLEASE DO:** **_ www dot change dot org/petitions/governor-cuomo-mayor-bloomberg-council-speaker-christine-quinn-international-plea-to-urgently-reform-new-york-city-animal-care-control# (remember to remove spaces and replace dot)_**

**This is a petition to the governor of New York to improve the living conditions in the animal shelters in New York that have a High-Kill rate and are so under founded the cats and dogs are getting sick! Please sign this petition, copy and post it on your profile and in your stories to get as many people to sign it as possible! Please, this is VERY important to me, as many of you know I lost my beloved dog Blaze recently and Blaze was a rescue from a shelter and an abusive owner so I want to give ALL animals in shelters a second chance and this petition is the first step. So PLEASE help!  
**

The Chapter: BELIEVE ME! I am just as pissed off about the lateness of this chapter as you are, this was actually the quickest chapter i ever wrote, soon as I sat down to write I couldn't STOP! unfortunately, my archives paper KILLED me, it took TWICE as long to do as i expects, I had one week to do my mid-term paper for my Info Concepts class (that was ROUGH) my midterm for my organization of info class, a bunch of short assignments, and I had work like every day but two for like two weeks, my family was up also and I was making a ton of stuff for Halloween (once this chapter was done): long story short I was BUSY AS HELL! So Believe me i was just as angry as I'm sure all of you must be for the month delay. I cannot apologize enough.

I LOVED this chapter though It was a JOY to write and thankfully i was able to write it sporadically in snippets during work so that helped TREMENDOUSLY! (phew) Anyway there is a lot to be said about this chapter so I'll sum it up:

The Sorcerer has revealed himself ans has come to collects his pay but Seto's not giving up without a fight: the true Origins of the curse, Yami's powers and Ziegfried's 100 year weight are finally revealed, including the ultimate showdown between Sigfried and Seto, and grab a box of Kleenex, because you WILL cry at the end!

Disclaimer: you know the drill i only own the plot, Takehashi owns all the characters (cept Phantom) and we all know who Beauty and the Beast belongs to.

* * *

_Chapter 31: The Twelfth Hour_

Looking at the man now, Yami could see that Ziegfried's hair, which the hood had darkly disguised as red, was actually pink. His papery skin looked cracked and pallor like it had never seen the light of day. Gaunt hands were thin, cracked with scars, bony, fragile fingers; and nails dyed sharp pink against his pasty skin like they'd been permanently dyed with blood. The bones of his cheeks and chin were too sharp, too angled like only skin was covering his skull. Even his eyes were too sharp and, Yami noticed, far too calm, almost triumphant.

To confirm Yami's fears, Ziegfried threw his head back and laughed with victorious volume. "I give you props for holding out this long, Kaiba," Ziegfried complimented with mock praise. His cold stony eyes skimmed Kaiba top to bottom, taking in the cuts and scrapes, his battered and bruised physique, his draped wings, disheveled hair and the angry and red wounds visible on Kaiba's shoulder and licked his dry, satisfied lips. The only thing missing was a look of broken defeat and Ziegfried's revenge would be complete.

"Even I hoped you'd make it this far," he mocked, his voice thick with a foreigner's accent and so posh and proper that it made Yami's blood boil. "It will be that much more fun when I finally claim what rightfully belongs to me."

He expected, almost wanted, Seto to seethe in rage, instead the dragon, with an arm tight and possessive around Yami's waist, smirked at the pale-haired Sorcerer who fully deserved his hate. "Ziegfried," Seto's tone was confident and almost chivalrous, "The years have certainly not been kind to you."

The tone, more than the actual words, was like a whiplash to Ziegfried's side but he laughed in response. Seto would break eventually. He would _make_ Seto break.

"And I wouldn't flaunt such arrogance so brashly," Seto continued, motioning with the back of his hand for the staff to get behind him. Only once they were in the shelter of the entrance did he continue. "Besides, if my parents could best you, I think I can manage without much effort."

Ziegfried's glamour of arrogance melted into a shockwave that stirred the air. His body resplendent with angry magenta energy and his cloak and hair fanned as a result, like a peacock angrily unfurling its feathers to reassert its dominance after being challenged by a younger but more vibrant rival. Seto only smiled at the man's baleful glare, proud that his family's dethroning still stung Ziegfried's pride.

"I'm going to enjoy breaking that spirit before I collect it," Ziegfried hissed a combination of anger and triumph.

"Why are you so confident, Ziegfried," Seto snapped, shoving Yami behind him with his back, Seto's wings raised and flexed to shield Yami's body. Out the corner of his eye he could see him standing with his brothers on either side of him: Yugi clenching Yami's arm and Atem, poised to protect them both. All around, Mai, Joey, Bakura, Ryou, Malik and Marik and Zane formed a half-circle about them and the rest of the servants: a half-circular wall of monsters, ready to protect them if he failed. It made Seto smile, even now their loyalty failed to waver.

He turned back to the still smirking Sorcerer with only a smile, refusing to give the man the satisfaction of stirring any emotion from him. "You're certainly in no position to be making demands," Seto gestured with his arm to the small army of monsters, his wings expanded, large and powerful and his dragon eyes shining proud, noble and blue. "What makes you think you have a right to my spirit?"

At the show of bravado Ziegfried threw his head back with a cruel, amused laugh. So hard was the volume, it was the will of the devil that Ziegfried didn't choke. "Oh Kaiba, you never cease to amuse me," he began with a devilish smile that revealed fangs and curled at the corners. "Even now, broken and mere minutes from death you still swagger in here, pretending you have any control over your fate. Did you really think you could strut about bargaining your pathetic soul as if it's your own? Have you forgotten who owns it? Who has for the last hundred years? You should be grateful that I'm ending your pathetic existence!" Ziegfried snapped and grinned. "As much as I've enjoyed your humorous attempts to stop me, I've waited long enough for you to pay your debt and I'm done waiting!" Ziegfried angrily stomped his foot, sending a wave of wind as he did so.

If his intension was to arouse something from Seto, he failed. Neither Seto's form nor his smile flinched. Instead, Seto bowed his head and chuckled, then threw his head back and laughed: a voluminous, confident, earnest laugh. So earnest that it made Ziegfried scream.

"How dare you!"

"And what makes you think I'm broken?" Seto cut him off. "What makes _you_ think you have any claim to _my_ mind? My soul? They were gone long before you cast your curse, and even if by some fluke of nature and you _do_ win, Ziegfried, they'll never be yours. My soul has never belonged to you."

"Oh really?" Ziegfried challenged unabashed by Kaiba's remark. "And who exactly _does_ it belong to whom? Your captive over there?" He gestured his head to Yami with a sneer. "Don't make me laugh, Kaiba! Do you think me blind to how you've spent your hundred year imprisonment? Do you think me oblivious to your self-imposed isolation? Would you really have me believe one brazen little whelp could undo a hundred years of anger, fear, Hatred, betrayal from the very people who loved you? Could one youth in six months undo a hundred years of pain?"

He expected at least a growl from Kaiba, a twitch of his eye, anything to show the Dragon King's scars hadn't completely faded. All he received was a smile. Not an arrogant smirk or a triumphant grin, but a genuine smile. "He already has."

That single act of happiness cut Ziegfried sharper than any blade. "What!" Ziegfried screamed, incredulously.

"I believe you heard me clearly the first time," Seto mocked. "I know you want me to hate you for destroying me and cursing me with this hideous form, for ruining my life and taking everything I loved from me. Condemning me to a fate I didn't deserve. Well, you're right, I _did_ hate you, and I _did_ think that. I spent so long hating myself and hating the world for doing this to me." Seto raised his hands and clenched and unclenched his scaled claws. He then closed his eyes and let them rest at his side. "I wanted nothing more than for my life to return to normal. To _be_ normal again, but I shunned any chance of that happening in favour of my own self-pity. All I wanted was for everything to go back to normal, when I had it all: my throne, my family, my people's respect and my peaceful kingdom. I didn't believe this 'key' could save me. I was so selfish." He closed his eyes and shook his head ruefully, almost laughing at the ignorance of his younger self. "I became exactly what you wanted."

He opened his eyes and lifted his chin with a chuckle before continuing. "Then suddenly this mere slip of a boy with a will stronger than mine and a sharper tongue literally drops on my doorstep and took it upon himself to turn my entire conviction and everything else upside down, without even a care to my reclusive desires, and though he had every reason to hate me…he never did." Seto hadn't moved but his eyes shifted to Yami, who stood transfixed by the heartfelt declaration. "I was so used to having people obey me, adore me, then hate me, fear me, be disgusted by me, abandon me and leave me without ever looking back. He did none of those things. In fact he did just the opposite…despite every wall I built up, every blow I put to hinder him, somehow that sharp tongue, that fiery spirit and that kind heart broke down all my defences and for the first time in my life I felt…alive again. Human. Free…"

Ignoring Ziegfried completely, he turned his head and met Yami's transfixed eyes with a smile and once again the room was completely empty except for locked crimson and aquamarine.

"You taught me how to enjoy the simple pleasures in life, to smile, to have fun, to forgive myself, to trust, to value my life and myself, to keep fighting, to sacrifice for those I love, to hope again, to believe in someone other than myself…you even taught me how to fly, when I wasn't even willing to try."

The gratitude and passion in Seto's heartfelt words nearly brought Yami to tears. A few of the staff smiled, all four of the servants covered their mouths to keep from laughing. In the corner, Rebecca could hear every word and burst into tears and cried into Miho's chest.

Seto smiled at Yami then turned around and walked toward Ziegfried's twitching form with a curled smile and willful eyes. "So, to make myself clear, Ziegfried," Seto finally stopped just beneath the opening in the ballroom ceiling. The wind and rain, whispering around his wings and tail, gave the Dragon King an eternal, majestic look. "As _painful_ as it is for you to believe, I don't hate you. I fact I want to thank you."

The entire room echoed with collective gasps at his last two words, all eyes turned to the Dragon King with wide eyes, dropped jaws and looks of incredulous confusion and shock.

"T-T-Thank me!?" Ziegfried stuttered so flabbergasted by the calmness of the words, his body trembled and he took an uneasy step backwards and almost stumbled over his own feet. When he regained his composure, he lunged forward: power rising about him with a crackle of rage. "How dare you mock me, you unscrupulous bastard," Ziegfried spat venomously, "What could you _possibly_ have to thank me for?"

Seto didn't even arch a brow at the outburst. He only smiled. "Everything, actually," Seto chuckled and places his hands on his sides as if explaining a joke. "You see, had you not interfered with my perfect life, I'd have simply lived the life I was meant to live: I'd have become King, ruled justly, as my father and mother had with their support, my brother's love and my people's trust and approval. Eventually, I suppose I would've married a queen, if only because it was expected of me, father and mother taught me, retired when my eldest son or daughter turned twenty-one and enjoyed the rest of my years watching my grandchild, until eventually, after a long and happy life, I'd probably die peacefully in my sleep, a content old man…" he paused before saying the next part. "Twenty years before my precious rose was even born, if I was lucky…I _am_ 122 after all."

That statement caused a few eyes to widen and Yami's heart to stop. Of course he and Seto joked about the age difference between them, but he'd never really put it into perspective until that moment, but only Seto's curse kept everyone in the castle frozen and able to communicate with him without aging and eventually dying.

"But of course," Seto's eyes shifted to Yami once again, "Had all that happened, I never would've met Yami." Seto smiled then turned again to the transfixed Sorcerer. "So you see Ziegfried, had you never cast your spell, keeping me alive and trapped for over a century, I'd have never met my desert rose, I'd have never fallen for him, and I've never known the true, unconditional love my father had with my mother. Granted I would've been with my mother. Granted I would've been content with my original life, I'd never have been as blissfully happy as I am now. So, if given the chance to choose my own fate, to live my life or to be cursed, despite all the pain I suffered, I can't speak for my staff, but I, personally, would do it all over again."

The silence that followed could only be described as too happy to from words.

"So, yes, Ziegfried," Seto said graciously and added salt to the wound by giving a small bow. "I want to thank you, because if you never cursed me, I never would have met Yami," he made a three-quarter turn and smiled lovingly into Yami's watery eyes. "And that's all that matters to me."

Yami felt his heart burst at the declaration. His shaking hands rose to cover his mouth. Two stray tears leaked from his eyes, and it was all he could do to keep himself from blubbering, "Oh Seto."

Next to him, Yugi nuzzled his side, teary-eyed and mystified, and vaguely he heard Atem give an "Oh damn" of reluctant but acceptant realization.

Yami's feelings confirmed; Seto spun to meet Ziegfried, his expression shifting to one of bold defiance. "So Ziegfried, you can steal my soul, you can turn me into a monster or a dragon, or a mindless beast, it won't do a damn thing. I will _always_ be content knowing I love him and knowing my soul is in the hands of someone I love, in other words, you've lost. You can break me, rip me to pieces, or turn me into whatever the hell you are, for all I care, you'll _never_ defeat me."

Across the ballroom, Ziegfried seemed rendered completely paralyzed by Seto's passionate soliloquy. Surprisingly no anger marred his face, no sign of disgust cringed his brow, but bewilderment. Exasperated bafflement shook his very being to its core. For a moment, Ziegfried's face remained frozen by the inability to fathom how his brilliant, meticulous planning had failed. Stunned incredulity caused his eyes to bulge. "No." He shook his head violently in denial, his whisper heard only because of the echo of the ballroom. "No!" he said louder, his hands flying to violently grasp his hair and rip until finally and exasperated scream of fury tore itself harshly from the normally collected and confident man's throat. "NO!"

Magenta energy consumed him in his range sending back a shockwave of air that forced the crowd from their feet.

Seto flexed his wings, catching the air just before his bottom hit the ground and held up an arm to block the wind. Behind him, he expelled a sigh of relief seeing everyone alright, but on their knees and huddled together, eyes closed and arms—in some cases wings—raised to block the storm created from Ziegfried's tantrum.

"NO! NO! NO! This can't be! It can't be!" he ranted, flailing his limbs jumping up and down and stomping his feet like a toddler throwing a fit.

"One hundred years!" Ziegfried screeched, snarling and ringing the air with his claws, his eyes wild with rage and his fangs visible. "An entire century of waiting and planning…" The fury of his gaze directed at Yami and his brothers, who were crouched on the floor. "And one god damned Gypsy whore sends it all to Hell!"

Seto's first instinct was to rip Ziegfried to shreds for calling his Yami a whore, but something else the Sorcerer had said stopped him, "Gypsy?" His question caused the room to look up in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Ziegfried's fit ceased and he burst in to laughter. "Oh come now, Kaiba, are you really this daft?" he insulted, but seeing the Dragon King's bafflement he smirked and continued. "Your mother, a descendant of those merchant sea rats was a Gypsy. Did you know that?"

Seto hadn't. His curiosity compelled him to listen, even as his rage commanded he rip Ziegfried's lips from his face for insulting his mother.

Seeing he now had the upper-hand, Ziegfried chuckled and swaggered. "Didn't you ever wonder how not just one brat, but _three_ could see everything in this castle? Even when your slaves were nothing but invisible specters? You never wondered how a young man could have premonitions in his sleep? Or could conjure fire with his anger?"

"Since when can you conjure fire?" Atem asked his stunned sibling, a cross between curiosity and bewilderment. If Yami heard him, he didn't show it, too stunned by Ziegfried's words to hear anything else.

"Did you really think it was a coincidence? Chance that a boy with such power, out of everyone else was the one who came here? I didn't realize it either until he killed my second beast. He had gypsy blood running through his veins! That's when I knew… It was _her_ doing! I should've known it that night, it all suddenly made sense why that bitch made me wait a hundred years!" Ziegfried's explanation quickly morphed into a rant, his shaking hands ringing the air, like it was a neck.

"Wait, what do you mean she did something that night?" Seto demanded; his controlled shattering in his confusion. "Are you talking about my mother?"

A mad laughter escaped the man. "Yes, those damn Egyptians and their magic always ruin my beautiful spells."

"What _are_ you talking about?" Kaiba demanded, angry and confused and tiring of Ziegfried's games. "You truly have gone mad!"

"Haven't you figured it out yet?" Ziegfried snapped. "Did you really think I _intended_ to turn you into _that_?" He pointed an accusing, disgusted finger at Seto, but the sharpness of the word gestured to Seto's form. "Did you honestly think that was my doing? That I would let you keep even an ounce of your humanity? Or that I would even give you a _chance_ at, even a possibility of defeating me? Let alone a hundred years? No…your curse, this curse" he gestured to the castle, "him," he glared at Yami with a mixture of hatred and want. "She did it all. I had it all planned so perfectly…"Ziegfried whined. "You're parents, your family and my traitor brother: they were all supposed to die that night! As were all the traitors who served you and you…" he pointed at Seto. "Oh, I had a special plan for you, Kaiba. You were meant to become the very creature your family worshiped and adored: a beast with no mind and no memory, not a hint that you were ever human." He paused and ground his teeth angrily; his fingers curled into his fists and shook with absolute rage. "And yet I underestimated that Egyptian witch!"

"Egyptian?" Kaiba blinked, recalling something Yami had mentioned. "Hadn't the boy's father had Egyptian roots? A father who was always giving Yami trinkets and telling him stories of exotic places?

"Oh you are a fool aren't you, Kaiba?" Ziegfried shook his head. "Rumour has it when the Greeks and Romans invaded the nation rather than be subjected to foreigners a lot of Egyptians fled by sea—some travelled West to the Celtic Isles and found life there, others travelled inward by land, but _some_ came _here_ to Eastern Europe, bringing their religion and their magic with them. Where do you think the term Gypsy comes from? Their native _Egypt_! Your mother was one such practitioner but her magic descended through the matriarchal line, nonetheless, just as my spell was cast, she cast one of her own. She stopped your curse halfway through allowing you to keep half of your human body and—more annoyingly—your human mind, while she and the rest of your treacherous family escaped death by entering limbo and giving the servants a _third_ form—a creative mirror of their soul to replace the physical forms they'd lost."

"My family is alive?" Seto breathed so overcome with hope, happiness and shock that he couldn't speak.

"Yes," Ziegfried answered, "As to where," he chuckled. "Well, I'm afraid even I don't know that…but it seems she wasn't finished yet…she then placed a barrier around the kingdom to keep me out and, no doubt as a backfire, to keep _you_ in. So I waited for her spell to break, year after year I waited, patiently, wondering what she could've possibly planned to outwit me and it wasn't until your gypsy boy destroyed my beast, I realized the purpose of her spell. It seems that night she knew she couldn't break my curse herself—so she sought someone who could. Someone with gypsy blood like her, but whose lineage was even more ancient. One so powerful, it descended directly from the Pharaohs of Egypt: the very children of the sun god!"

The final piece snapped into place. Realization came to both Yami and Seto like a wave of cold water.

"Dad was right," Yami laughed unsure what else to do. "That's why I can throw fire…"

"Then where do the premonition things come from?" Yugi asked bewildered.

"Sun God was all-knowing," Atem answered, chuckling. "I always wondered why he named me after one."

"So we're descendant from Gods? Or Kings?" Yugi cutely cocked his head to the side.

"I think it's both," Syrus chimed in.

"Well…" Seto exhaled a breath, turning to Yami with a smile and rubbed the back of this head, "That explains a lot."

"So then her spell was meant to last a hundred years so Yami could be born and give him time to come of age and break the curse. And all you need to do is wait until midnight whenever her barrier breaks," Seto asked but the statement was evident.

"Preciously," Ziegfried's tongue curled when he spoke.

"So what you're saying is…" Seto began then smiled, "Yami is—quite literally—my soul-mate."

Ziegfried's face dropped. "Enough!" Another shockwave escaped him. "Let's finish this now!" Angry energy burned in his hand.

"I couldn't agree more," Seto smirked and raised his palm revealing a storm of blue-white lightning contained in a sphere and fired it with a flick of his wrist. Lightning exploded inches from Ziegfried's face and he dodged it with a scream.

"You—ho—how did you do that?" the Sorcerer asked exasperated.

Seto smirked glowed in the pale blue aura of the lightning crackling in his hands. "Let's just say I've had a lot of free time on my hands."

Ziegfried lowered his face, his bangs shadowing his eyes and chuckled darkly. "Very well, if you're going to use your true form to fight, then I suppose I should use mine."

The gravity of the words sent a wave of uncertainty through the room, followed by a sickening crack. Ziegfried's hands expanded like the bones were shedding their outer skins to grow larger ones, the skin cracked and decayed to a sickening black and his nails formed curved claws like talons. His canines expanded like a viper's. He ripped the cloak from his shoulders and with a burst of air and power, two thick wings skeletal exploded from his back, ripping his clothes to ribbons. Feathers and skin grew and clumped to the bones, hanging down from the thick bones in curled strips. If possible, his skin paled even more transforming into a frosty white and cracked like paper plastered to a skull. His feet and legs grew longer and thinner, shrinking to thin bones covered in skin, talons curled from his toes. Dark circles highlighted his eyes, illuminating impossibly bright and impossibly sharp, demonic eyes.

At the site of this new form, several of the servants screamed, some couldn't hold back their disgust. Others shivered and growled at the sight of it. Syrus covered his mouth and fell to his shaking knees, and warred with his stomach to keep from throwing up. Next to him Chazz, wasn't as strong and vomited in the corner. Yami and Atem both dashed to cover Yugi's eyes, but the boy had already covered them when the man began his monstrous transformation. Yami couldn't look away no matter how much he wished to. His heart torn between pity and horror, unable to believe someone could do something so horrible to themselves, but unable to help but wonder how desperate the man's soul must've been to willingly transform himself into a monster. Even Bakura's horror stunned the words from his voice.

"Dear God," Seto breathed torn between repulsion and pity. The lightning in his hands faded in his shock. "What the hell did you do to yourself?"

"This," Ziegfried dragged the world like a gossiping girl with a secret, "Is the price I paid for power and for eternity."

"Son of a bitch," Yami heard Duke swear, next to him. The man had moved in front of Téa who'd taken it upon herself to keep the village girls out of the monster's line of sight. "Bigger the front, bigger the back; do something negative and it bounces back at you threefold," Duke laughed darkly, "Grandma was right."

"What do you mean, Duke?" Yami asked.

"Magic…" Duke began. "What he said about the gypsies, the Egyptians…I think my grandmother was one, except she was a Wiccan: she said magic descends from the same place, but it isn't good or bad…only its intended purpose. But law of three whatever you do comes back at you three times worse, or three times better, that is the price we pay. That's what she always told me. Even immortality has a price, but you have to be willing to pay it…I think this is what she meant. That bastard traded his humanity to cast this curse…and he sacrificed his body and blood for eternal life…or at least an imitation of it."

"Imitation?" Ziegfried laughed, commanding the air to dance as he did so, the resulting storm, stuck them all with such force that even Kaiba had to sink his claws into the ground to keep from being blown away. "Oh no, this life is real, it has kept me alive and waiting for a hundred years, and now all my sacrifice will come full circle! I don't care what pretty words you spin, Kaiba, this is not over. Not until I've ripped your soul to pieces!"

Ziegfried lunged forward with a scream like a thousand crows taking to wing, claws, talons and fangs poised to bite, but Seto was quicker. Lighting blazed to life in his hands and he threw them forward shouting "WHITE LIGHTNING!"

Crystal fire and azure bolts exploded from his hands compelling Ziegfried to scream and conjure a sphere to shield himself. Blue and magenta mingled together: fire and lightning crackled and ricocheted in various directions under the pressure, but neither Seto's lightning nor Ziegfried's shield refused to give way.

Behind him, Seto saw Bakura drag Ryou out of the way of a stray bolt. Jaden clutched Syrus to his chest, Zane's wings shielding them both from stray blasts.

"Look out!" Atem yelled and shoved Yugi and Yami onto the ground with his weight. A magenta bolt singing the tips of his spiked hair.

Rebecca and Miho both screamed when sparks of lightning exploded at their feet. Téa dragged them to their feet and rushed them to safety, next to her Serenity, covered her sensitive eyes from the bright lights. Seeing them in danger, Duke transformed into his warrior form and used his armour to deflect any stray lightning. Jim grabbed Chazz, still weak from his sickness, and shoved him and Jesse out of the line of fire, ordering them to keep their heads down. Marik dove on top of Malik when a stray bolt struck the wall where he was once standing. They covered their heads in a weak attempt to shield them from the falling stone and dust that chipped off the wall as a result. On the outside, Mai and Joey did their best to deflect ricocheting attacks with blasts of fire and wind, until Mai forced the Mouto siblings to their feet and ordered them into the hallway with the rest of the younger members of their group, and ordered Serenity to go with them. An extremely reluctant Yami was the lasts to go and fought her tooth and nail. Surveying the damage, Seto stopped his attack and instead lunged at Ziegfried and slammed his tail into him when his shield faltered no longer serving a purpose. The harpy sorcerer slammed into the wall caught off by the attack.

"ZANE!" Seto called, using whatever time he had while Ziegfried collected himself from the floor where he'd landed. The steward raised his head obediently.

"Get everyone out of here! Now!" Seto ordered and fired another blast at Ziegfried, forcing him to roll out of the way before the Sorcerer could counter attack.

"Kaiba!" Joey called out, "What about—"

"Just go!" Seto cut him off harshly, the gravity in this eyes and voice held no room for argument. "I'll be fine!"

The Steward and Maître de nodded and turned to the staff. "You heard him, everyone out of here! On the double!"

The staff obeyed and fled the scene, reluctant to leave their Master and prayed for his safe return before midnight. All except one.

"Seto!" Yami screamed, finally pulling himself free from Mai's grip and stopping in the Ballroom entrance, just in time to witness Seto dodging Ziegfried's attack by turning to the side, the strike missing by inches and shattering a window instead. The Dragon King roared and countered with a barrage of counter strikes. Ziegfried summoned another shield but struggled to hold it under the heavy rain of thunder blasts.

"Go Yami!" Seto ordered, but Yami couldn't move. The realization of how close Seto was to death, how close he was to _not_ breaking the curse was never more evident than it was now. The reality of never seeing Seto again if he left crashed against him leaving unable to move or speak.

"Don't worry," Seto promised landing and smiled, sensing the dilemma in the boy's soul, "I'll be alright."

_You're lying. _ Yami knew but couldn't voice the words. The confidence and conviction in Seto's eyes: he had something planned, something he knew would work, but there was a catch that Yami couldn't place his finger on what it was. All he knew was that if Seto succeeded, Yami would never see him again.

"Come _on_!" Yami's body was yanked back, returning him to his sense. Atem dragged him out of danger but all Yami saw was Seto's form getting further and further away until it vanished under the barrage of lights.

"Wait," Yami screamed and tried to pull himself free, but Atem's grip was strong and his determination even more fierce, "Seto!"

XXXXXX

Once the ballroom was clear Seto didn't hold back. He leapt into the air and hovered above the ground. The storm outside had ceased, allowing the opening in the stain glass roof to let the full moon of the vernal equinox flood the room.

"It's just you and me now, Ziegfried," Seto taunted, energy crackling in his hands as he hovered in the air, beckoning the bird beast to attack.

"What's the matter, Kaiba," Ziegfried taunted, remaining on the ground. The mess of the ballroom scattered about his feet in the form of broken stain glass, crushed marble fragments and bent metal chandeliers and candle holders. "Didn't want an audience to witness your shame, like last time?"

It took all of Seto's will not to show any emotion at the harsh words. "No," he countered, "I just thought we'd finish this how we started it a hundred and eleven years ago…unless you're too scared to face me like you were back then," Seto taunted.

A sudden blast of black power was his reward. Seto barely had time to fly out of the way before the attack vanished into the night. "Is that why you hated me?" Seto continued, baiting his trap, "Because you didn't have the courage to face me then?"

"No," Ziegfried snarled. "I hated you because you were _nothing! NOTHING! _ And yet you had _everything_ and you did _nothing with it!_ You had everything that should've been mine! The people's love, loyalty, adoration and respect! They saw you as their king, their GOD! And yet you treated them like they were…like they were…" his fury clouded his vocabulary.

"Humans?" Seto finished, lowering himself slightly, "Equals?"

"YES!" Ziegfried snapped! "I was _born_ to rule! WE were born to rule! I was descendant from Kings and lords! We were _born_ to rule just as they were _born_ to be subjected! It should've have mattered what our laws were or what we decided or what they wanted. We were their kings and they nothing but lowly peasants whose only purpose was to obey! If we said jump, they said 'how high?' My family, we spent _generations_ earning that level of command and authority, and yet your parents…a lowly lord and a sea rat with barely any blood or status and only wealth come along and _destroy_ that divine chain of being! It was disgusting! And _worse_, you dragged _my_ brother into your sinful philosophy! Leon was a naïve child, but he was still my brother and you poisoned him against me! I didn't want him to suffer, of all my subjects he was the most prized to me, but his actions were a betrayal to me and everything we were taught. I had to disown him because of _you_! I will _never_ forgive that, Kaiba! NEVER!"

Kaiba listened to the rant with a combination of anger and amusement than laughed. "It seems you've done too good a job at your acting, Ziegfried. You've even convinced _yourself_ of this tragic hero garbage you've created."

"How dare you!" Ziegfried launched himself at Kaiba, claws flexed to strike, but Kaiba easily dodged and tried to kick the man, but Ziegfried dodged and instead slashed the man's right side. Kaiba screamed when his claws nicked his shoulder reopening Rebecca's wound. His hand flew to it but quickly whirled to launch another White Lightning blast when Ziegfried fired another attack, laughing manically. "It doesn't matter now. All that matters is your death and having my gypsy in my arms and my bed!" he laughed, mockingly.

"Over my dead body!" Kaiba's anger doubled the force of his attack, sending Ziegfried reeling, but still airborne. Seto landed in a crouched position on the ballroom ceiling. "Don't think I haven't noticed how you've looked at him, Ziegfried! Every time you attacked him I could see the lust in your face, like he's another trophy you want to possess."

Ziegfried licked his lips pleased with Seto's response. "And what makes you think I haven't already? I was alone with him before you killed my nasty wolf and again when you were fighting my puppet. What makes you think _you_ were the only one to possess that gorgeous body even if gypsy blood taints him?" Ziegfried expected Kaiba's blind fury. To be angry enough that he'd make mistakes and not realize them until it was too late.

Instead, his undead heart nearly stopped when Seto smirked.

"Because he still responds to me," Seto boasted. "I'll bet he was so repulsed by you that he couldn't even stand your touch!" Seto taunted, pleased when he saw Ziegfried's brow twitch and his demonic eyes darken with rage. Sensing his weakness and saying a prayer of apology to his lover, he continued, "I know so because when I hold him, touch him, _kiss_ him, he doesn't kiss me with any less fervor. You don't know Yami like I do, if you _had_ lain with him in any way I'd have to hunt you down and torture you slowly, but since that is not the case…I suppose I can give you the mercy of a quick death."

"Oh you think so!" Ziegfried laughed. "You know, Kaiba, I thought what I'd enjoy most about my vengeance was watching you wither into nothing, but I just thought of something else. How enjoyable it will be explaining how I killed you to your gypsy while I'm making him my consort."

Seto growled furiously, his wings crackled with angry lighting. Seto paused to collect his thoughts and said another prayer, cursing himself for what he was about to say next and praying his lies would not be in vain. "Even _if_ Yami became your lover, why would you _want_ him? Of course he's gorgeous, but could you really be content with the knowledge that he's tainted?"

At the word Ziegfried's composure shattered for a split second. Seto continued, "Even more so, that I was the one who tainted him? Could you live with that knowledge and still make him your consort?"

Ziegfried talons curled and uncurled with rage, anger replaced his neutral mask, and Seto could see him slipping closer and closer into his trap. "Could you live with the knowledge that I held him first? That I kissed him first?" Seto asked and Ziegfried screeched at him, his wings expanding to fly, his claws poised to strike. Smirking, Seto went into for the kill, "Could you live with the knowledge that I _bedded_ him first?"

Ziegfried screamed and lunged at Seto like a black dash, his hands crashing through the window to wrap around Seto's neck, but the dragon expected the maneuver and leaned back, dodging the strike. Ziegfried crashed through the class and catapulted into the air. Seto launched himself off the roof after him diving like a bolt of lightning, his claws crackling with energy as he flew. When he was finally level with Ziegfried his tail struck like a cobra wrapping itself around the man's neck and holding him as high as it could above Seto.

Ziegfried screamed and clawed at the appendage but with every thrash Seto squeezed tighter. Kaiba smirked, seeing him distracted by the manacle about his neck he didn't notice Seto place his hands together, the energies fusing into one sphere double the size and continuing to grow. His entire body galvanized with energy and light, all of it rising into his palms to charge the shinning sphere.

Only when it had doubled in size again did Ziegfried cease his attempts to free his neck from Seto's tail and stare, horrified. Realization struck him like a slap across the face. Fear, protest and shock contorted his face. "You fool!" Ziegfried screamed, "If you fire that at this range, you'll kill us both!"

"I know," Seto said calmly, "And I don't care."

"Killing me won't make you human!" Ziegfried confessed desperately. "It won't undo your spell! Mine was only to strip your soul and leave you a beast when the midnight strike was up. I have nothing to do with the curse that will keep you like this once the clock strikes midnight!"

"But killing you will break the spell on the castle. It'll turn my staff human again and it will keep Yami and his family and his village safe from you," Seto retorted. Ziegfried's silence confirmed his convictions. "That's all I need to know." Seto smiled and fanned his arms further apart; the enormous sphere of blue light spiraled: lightning whirled about inside, desperate for release.

Ziegfried screamed and kicked and clawed at Seto's tail, anything to escape his inevitable doom once it was clear that his trump card had failed. "No! No! No! I don't want to die!"

"Neither did they," Seto glared, gesturing to his staff, gathered in the safety of the lower levels and away from the blast. It was better this way. Better they didn't have to see his sacrifice. Images of his youth and their unwavering loyalty filled his mind. Even when he was cursed they never ceased to try and make him happy. He could only pray they knew how grateful he was to them for their kindness, and that they didn't blame themselves for his demise. He thought of his family. His parents, his brothers: Mokuba, Noah, Leon: the men they should've become, the four of them playing games as children, the whole family being together as often as they could. They would've adored Yami. He knew Yami and Mai would find them, wherever his mother sent them. Maybe with Siegfried's spell breaking his mother's would break as well?

Then he thought of Yami, his precious desert rose who saved him in every way a person could be saved. Who saw though him, even when Seto himself believed there was nothing there. His heart ached when he realized he wouldn't see him again. If he could have one wish granted before his inevitable death, it would be that, to hold him, to kiss him. To tell him he loved him. Yes, if he could do that one last time he'd die happy.

Finally, his attack completed, his azure scales illuminated with light, his winged flexed to their full length and the electricity spiraling in his hands, formed beams of light absorbing into his very being until a pure white light began to glow from Kaiba's centre and expand outward. His attack ready to strike and no regrets holding him back; Seto let all his emotion, his rage at Ziegfried, his desire to free his staff, his hope for his family and his love for Yami: form a single incantation:

"SHINNING BURST!"

Blue and white splashed together before erupting from Kaiba's very body in a spherical explosion. Ziegfried screamed in denial and pain as the sheer force of the strike ripped him to shreds, but Seto focused all his energy on the attack absorbing all the power into his very being than projecting it outward. Every dragon scale, every claw its own weapon acting as its own conductor in the storm, even as his mortal body absorbed the backlash, he didn't care. He ignored the pain and continued the attack. Ziegfried's body slipped from his tail, his screams silencing as he was literally blown to bits.

As the energy left him and the light filled the sky, Seto felt his body weaken. The searing pain he'd originally felt when the lightning left his body fading to a cold numbness. When the last light left his body his entire form felt numb. His wings no longer able to support his weight, he dropped, but his plummet was slow and surprisingly peaceful. A proud grin graced his face when he saw only a pile of ashes and a few feathers were all that was left of Ziegfried, crumbling in the wind as a result of the devastation of Seto's attack. He barely felt the remaining life leaving his body as he fell. The process nowhere near as painful as he originally believed, in fact it felt surprisingly peaceful: quicker and easier than falling asleep after an exhausting day.

He barely felt the ballroom floor as he landed. Vaguely, he heard a faint scream in the distance, but it was alright. Ziegfried was dead. The curse was broken. Yami was safe.

Everything in the end up to that moment had happened as he'd planned.

Somewhere in the castle the clock struck midnight.

XXXXX

The staff entered the mess of the main foyer stopping only to catch their breath once they were a safe distance from the chaos of the ballroom. Several leaned against the wall or fell to their knees in exhaustion with heavy hearts, prayers and hopes for their master's safety.

"Do you think Mr Kaiba will be alright?" Yugi asked concerned. He and Yami's eyes locked concerned on the staircase they'd just come from. Atem's grip on Yami's wrist hadn't loosened.

"He'd better," Joey panted.

"Damn right," Bakura added, rubbing his face with the back of his sleeve. "If he isn't and Yami doesn't kill him, one of us sure as hell will—" his sentence was cut off when the ground beneath their feet started to rumble, causing Bakura to fall flat on his face. "What the hell?"

"The building is shaking!" everyone started screaming. Yugi latched onto Atem who let go of Yami to balance himself. Several of the staff raised their arms to shield themselves from falling debris, but the fall never came. The windows shivered a bit but showed no sign of breaking. Even the ground felt solid beneath their feet, moved as if the world was a wave. It rolled across reality like an invisible shockwave. It phased through Yugi, Yami, Rebecca and Miho like they weren't there, but when it touched the staff it pooled around them like the parting of an ocean wave.

"What the hell is going on?" Atem demanded of them but none of them could answer.

Rebecca screamed when Duke's bulky form suddenly started shaking before her. Téa rushed to his side, but couldn't understand what to do. Across from them Mai and Joey both collapsed on each other shivering, their wings shaking like they were independent of their masters. Zane screamed when his wings started to burn with silver light.

"Zane!" Syrus and Jaden screamed.

Across from them Marik and Malik's armor shone gold until their wings literally fell from their backs and shattered like glass once they hit the ground, vanishing like dust once they did. Everyone shook with disbelief and fear, the uncertainty worse than the reality. Suddenly, everyone's monster forms shimmered: skin scales and feathers melted from human skin like the outer shell of porcelain. The fallen pieces shattered like glasses and faded like glitter into the air, until only human forms remained. The wave ceased as did the shaking of the castle.

"What happened?" Rebecca couldn't stop shaking.

"Are you alright Mr. Duke?" Miho asked, helping Téa help the man to his feet.

"What the fuck was that?" Bakura said punching the ground, then screeched when his knuckles came back bruised and bloody, and started shaking his hand to ease the pain. "Damn that stung." Shock and realization froze the staff in place. Hope bulged in their eyes and stunned them to silence, almost unable to believe what there were being told, but the evidence was in the blood pooling down Bakura's knuckles. "That stung?" The wonder in his voice echoed in everyone's minds.

"And you're bleeding?" Ryou pointed out, checking the wound.

"Alright, will someone _please_ explain what is going on?" Atem demanded more confused than anything else.

"We're ghosts," Chazz explained. "Least primarily we were. Even in our physical forms we rarely got hurt or bled, it was part of our curse."

"So, if we can now then…" Jim continued but even he couldn't finish the thought.

"We're human again," Zane finished struggling to his feet grateful for Jaden and Sy's help. "I felt it, my dragon form, I felt it inside me. But it wasn't leaving me it was like it was merging back with soul? I can't explain it."

"I think we get it," Joey chimed it. "I felt it too."

"So did I," Mai added, gently touching her heart just above her bosom. "It felt like a piece of my heart had fixed itself."

"So then, we're actually human again?" Malik blinked.

"Does that mean…" Rebecca's soft voice was like a stone in a well. "That the curse is broken?" When their eyes turned on her she shrank back unable to meet their eyes. Not when she was unwittingly the cause of all their suffering that night.

"The spell is broken at least, but I don't think the curse is," Marik deduced. "We are human now, but if the curse was broken the castle would've returned to normal but it hasn't, which means there's something else going on."

"Whatever it is, I say we get back to the ballroom," Joey suggested gesturing to the stairs with his thumb. "Whatever's going on we need to find the Master first." He turned to the Mouto siblings, the blinked. "Where's Yami?" he asked.

Atem's eyes widened and he whirled around. Yugi was at his side, but Yami was gone.

"Oh no, he did not!" Atem growled furiously. "How many times is he going to do this in one day?"

XXXXXX

Yami raced up the stairs as fast as his body would allow. The cacophony of Seto fighting the bird beast echoed louder and louder the closer he got. Light exploded outside the windows filling the castle with a flash of blue. But, as Yami noticed, its focal point was from outside, _above_ the castle. The resulting rumble nearly knocked him from his feet, not the shaking of an earthquake, but a rippling wave like a distortion of time and reality. Yami braced himself for its impact but it passed through him as if he were transparent. He ignored the phenomenon and urged himself onward: he couldn't spare any time.

"I'll be damned if this night ends before I tell Seto that I love him too," he said determinedly sliding into the hallway so fast that he nearly slipped.

He just reached the ballroom's main entrance the doors still blasted open, when a brilliant blue light erupted from the ceiling. Lasers of dancing lights shattered the stain glass and flooded through the ceiling like bright blue sunbeams. The sheer brightness forced him to cover his eyes with his arm. Only when it dimmed did he dare risk a glance at the sky. He saw Seto's glowing form begin to fade and all that remained of Ziegfried was a cloud of pinkish red ash and a handful of feathers blowing with the breeze. A sigh of relief subconsciously expelled from his lips and his head felt almost unbearably lighter.

It was actually over. Seto won. Ziegfried was dead. The curse was broken, right?

No, something was wrong. Seto looked completely drained: all five of his limbs hung like dead weights at his sides, his wings slopped weakly like they were broken, and his dragon form hadn't faded into his one. Suddenly the Dragon King slid through the air, his knees and wings gave way and he suddenly fell like an angel falling to earth.

Yami could only watch him fall then screamed when Seto crashed to the floor. Yami slid to his knees next to the collapsed heap, screaming "Seto!"

Carefully he rolled him over and cradled Seto's broken form in his arms. "Seto?" he called, weakly shaking the man awake. Seto released a cough so violent it shook his tired limbs, but Yami took it as a good sign: he was alive, but he was weak…too weak.

The staff re-entered the ballroom just as the clock struck midnight. Humans now stood where winged creatures once did. Gasps of horror and shrieks of denial and despair were muted to Yami's ears. Sad and broken servants and the four Hawkins Hallow residents stood transfixed by the heart-breaking sight of their Master's crumbling form in the arms of his lover trying desperately to stay strong.

Yugi tried to run to his older brother, but Atem grabbed his shoulder and gently tugged him back. The smaller raised a sad face, eyes begged with a teary 'why?' but Atem just shook his head with a small frown. He gestured his chin to Yami, holding Seto's head against his chests and calling his name. Despite himself, Yugi stayed put.

They all did: their hearts tightening in their chests with the fearful worry that at any moment Yami would be holding a corpse.

_First Chime._

"Seto?" At the sound of his name rolling off Yami's tongue, Seto opened his eyes, and they glowed with so much happiness that it didn't matter that his irises were barely visible.

"Yami…you're back? You're here?" his voice was all breath but he still managed to raise a shaking claw to catch a tear Yami didn't know had been forming.

_Second Chime._

"Seto…" Yami wanted to say more but his voice had frozen. Seeing Seto in this state so weak and close to death scared him. Seeing him so content with it, even now, terrified him.

"I'm sorry…"

_Third Chime._

"I'm just so happy…I was so hoping I'd get to see you again…." Seto rasped. "It's over. Ziegfried's gone he'll never hurt you or anyone else again, but Yami…" Seto coughed, he spoke quickly weaving his words together like he was struggling to say them, "I'm so sorry, he said he would…to you…and to lure him out…I had to…" He tried to speak but couldn't.

_Fourth Chime._

"Stop it, Seto," Yami shook his head, knowing precious moments were passing and he couldn't lose anymore. "It's okay. It's over, everyone's safe and were together now," Yami told him, trying to sound confident but even he could hear his own voice breaking. "Everything's going to be fine!" Yami pleaded unsure who he was trying to convince.

_Fifth Chime._

Seto could only smile. He forced his weak body to obey him. He sat up and gently stroked Yami's cheek.

"Seto," Yami said clenching his claw but was cut off when soft, warm lips descended upon his filling him with so much joy but so much hope and despair his heart leaped and wept at once.

_Sixth Chime._

"I love you," Seto told him when he pulled away, leaving Yami too stunned to speak. "I'm so sorry I couldn't say it before but I do, I really do. I'm so happy I met you, Yami. My desert rose, I have no regrets." His eyes closed and his hand dropped from Yami's cheek. Even though it broke his heart to say goodbye, he awaited death with a smile on his face.

_Seventh Chime._

"No…" Yami breathed when Seto's hand hit the ground. "Seto! Seto!" he screamed, shaking the lifeless body, his scales suddenly felt cold and skin looked pale. "Seto, wake up!" he begged, tears streaming down his face.

_Eighth Chime._

"You can't kiss me, tell me you love me and then die! You can't!" Yami screamed, slamming his fist on Seto's chest, but he still wouldn't wake up. "Come back…" his voice broke.

_Ninth Chime._

"Please…" Yami begged; his voice cracked with tears and grief. His heart breaking with each word, not the body still refused to respond. "Please don't leave me…"

_Tenth Chime._

"Please…Don't go….Don't die…" He laid Seto down and carried his weight on his shaking arms, tears falling from his face and landing on Seto's skin. "Please don't..."

_Eleventh Chime._

"I love you," Yami buried his face in Seto's still chest and burst into tears.

_Twelfth Chime._


	33. Chapter 32: The Dragon's Rose

I DID IT! I BEAT THE MONTH DEADLINE! SCORE! I was furious that this took me nearly another month to get up, but between school and work and getting my short assignments and my Archives paper done it took a lot longer than i thought, but I ended up writing it out on slips of paper during work when i had time (which was a lot less than normal sense everyone is trying to get the Christmas sales-yeah our christmas sales went up a week into November) but i got it done, and it took me TWO REAKING DAYS AND 3 NIGHTS to write the second half...

anyway... Here it is!

Dedications: To my good friend CandyassGoth (who i affectionately call Cassy) as an early birthday gift ^-^ Happy birthday girl! also, special shout out to my Beta KedakiOkami for getting this back in less than a day despite yahoo refusing to open it! XD also special thanks to my Good friend Shana's who's prideshipping always puts me in the mood to write my own ^-^

Disclaimer: I own the plot and story: Yugioh and all its characters belongs to my hero, Kazuki Takehashim. This story was loosely inspired by the Disney Film Beauty and Best but obviously the plot and the twists are my own, but that's all. I also own all of Yami's outfits and the music box.

As always read, review, comment, critique, ask questions and flames will only be expected with reasoning: i accept constructive criticism but NOT nasty remarks. If you think it sucks TELL ME WHY! I can't fix it if i don't know what's wrong.

WARNING: HAVE TISSUES AND A WATER BOTTLE ON STANDBYE...you WILL Need them this chapter.

* * *

Chapter 32: The Dragon's Rose

Yami didn't let go of Seto's corpse. He wasn't sure if he ever could. Part of him still waited for Seto to awaken, the other told him that wasn't possible. This wasn't a fairy-tale. His tears wouldn't magically restore life to the cold corpse. Telling Seto he loved him wouldn't change anything no matter how hard he prayed it would. This wasn't a storybook or a ballad about how the hero breaks the spell on his lover and they magically live happily ever after. No, this wasn't that. The evidence was lying cold and broken in his arms.

Behind him the accumulating crowd stood with mixed expressions of horror, grief, sympathy and guilt. None of them spoke. Words fled their minds. Unbridled emotion left them transfixed and unable to even shriek their despair. Syrus cried into Jaden's chest. Chazz fell back against the wall, his body too numb from the shock of his despair to even cry, let alone stand. Yugi burst into tears, crying for his big brother's broken heart. Atem didn't dare to speak, even as he held Yugi's crying form tight. What could he say? Tears streamed down Jesse's face but he remained silent. Jim removed his hat and held it over his heart out of respect. Serenity made a teary eyed cross. Duke said a prayer to the spirits. Mai and Joey held each other: Mai covered her mouth to keep from crying even as tears filled her eyes. Behind her, Ryou hugged his arms and sniveled like a child, shivering even wrapped in Bakura's cloak. Unlike the rest, Bakura growled in rage and punched the wall behind him, cursing his master.

"You're a fool, Kaiba, a damn, bloody fool!" But no amount of anger could hide the pain in his eyes. Even Zane tried his best to keep his composure, but the sound of his brother's tears, Yami's heartbroken sobs and the too still body of his master crumbled on the floor made it impossible to hold his reserve. Marik didn't even try to mask his grief and screamed his rage, cried his tears and ripped at his hair and clothes, even after Malik wrapped his arms around his husband's waist and cried for him to stop. Both of them collapsed into messy heaps on the floor. Téa followed and fell to her knees and cried. Miho knelt down to comfort her but had no idea what to say. She hadn't met the Dragon King beyond that moment but it was clear he'd been important to them all.

Only Rebecca couldn't grieve. Guilt clenched her heart so tightly; she felt the very organ being squeezed. The weight settled so heavy on her chest, she felt her ribs compressed. She couldn't breathe or think. She wanted to cry but knew the Dragon King deserved better than her tears. This was her fault: the King's death, their grief, Yami's broken heart. All of it was the result of her greed, her ignorance, her pride, her conviction, so set she foolishly believed every word the Sorcerer, the monster bearing a stolen human skin, told her. Rebecca was no fool. She recognized the lies on each jeweled word just as she recognized the silver-tongue that spoke them: the same manipulative clipped tones used to weasel profits and favors from her status, from every usurper who underestimated her because she was a woman. But she ignored it, lied to herself and pretended it was the truth only because of what they promised. She believed every lie, every dark word about the Dragon King, convinced herself with his death, Yami would finally return her love. The reward of her misdeeds was now presented for her approval. She'd gotten what she'd wanted, hadn't she? The Dragon King was dead. Surely if not for the stab wound and their battle he'd have been strong enough to survive the devastation of his own attack? Had she not blindly led the mob? But the die has been cast and she could not undo the turn. All she could hear were Yami's heartbroken sobs clenching her heart with sharp, guilty claws.

The music box that had lain almost innocently in Atem's pocket had become completely forgotten among the scuffle. It jiggled itself free once Yugi clamped his distraught arms around Atem's waist, rolled on the cloth of their coats and almost magically rolled to a part of the room between the anguished crowd and the equally heartbroken boy holding his fallen lover and rolled onto its side with a soft 'thunk'. The motion was the only motivation the music box needed before its lid popped open. The Dragon figurine spun to a series of interlocking, identical tunes of different volumes and pitches. A sweet, high chime preluded a medium ding, a lesser chime, a soft 'dong' and a string of similar tunes lowering softly before climbing higher once again. All while the dragon figurine spun and danced, each motion rose and fell in synch with the rising and falling tone of each note. Suddenly, the dragon stopped; the music ceased. Its tiny sapphire eyes burst with bright blue lights. The shattered glass speckling the floor rattled and started to glow.

Suddenly, the resplendent box shimmered like a bright blue star: streams of speckled blue and silver formed a galaxy of stars, spiraling from the music box, commanded the attention of all to its presence. Yami only raised his head when a similar glowing circle spiraled around him and Seto's corpse. The light erupted heavenwards from the box like shooting stars then exploding into a shower of stars and blue beams raining upon Seto's corpse. Suddenly the body in Yami's arms began to move. So transfixed by the awe inspiring scene, Yami barely noticed until he felt Seto's body forcibly lifted from his arms.

"NO!" Yami screamed and instinctively tightened his hold. "Don't take him away from me!"

_Be still, little one._

The gentleness in this voice eased Yami's vice-grip: a soft, soothing bell that filled his heart with hope.

_He's proved himself to his key. This is his reward._

Yami subconsciously let go and Seto's body was gently carried from his arms on the light's winds. Light spiraled into a draconic shape. Seto's limp wings began to move: expanding to life, his wings shone bright blue and shed glitter as they doubled in size and enveloped Seto's body like a silvery-white cocoon. Stunned mystification bulged Yami's eyes. His mouth fell open in shock but no words came out. He fell back on his bottom, shaking but he couldn't look away. He could only watch Seto's metamorphosis even as the force and brightness of the wind and light caused everyone to divert their memorized eyes.

The scales of Seto's wings crystallized together with a freezing crackle: hardening like diamonds. Suddenly his sparkling wings burst open with the twinkling chorus of countless silver bells. Diamond scales exploded into dust revealing shinning, feathery white wings, enveloping Seto's dancing limbs in a shower of soft white feathers. The tattered remains of Seto's coat slipped away. Each scale from the tips of his tail, up his spine, back and shoulders to the base of his wings shattered into stardust when they moulted from his skin. The fins on his shoulder blades scintillated into lights. His talons split at the tips revealing human fingers. Scales fell from his hands and down his arms leaving tan skin in their place. His elbow spikes cracked like a spider web and shattered to pieces, each one evaporating into mist. The claws split into toes, and his paws shed their scales one at a time, revealing bare human feet and soft, tan skin: human skin. His fangs shrunk to normal canines, the fins of his ears molded back into human ears and finally, his glittering wings began to rattle lights danced about him like raining glitter. His new wings expanded to their full length and with a final burst of light, a dragon of light roared to life before vanishing in a storm of mists. White feathers rained upon Seto's tumbling body.

All while Yami watched transfixed when the lights died. The music box stopped, but remained open and gently bumped his knee. When he could move again, Yami pushed himself to his knees, picked up the box and crawled towards Seto's still body. A nervous hand tentatively brushed its fingers over Seto's cheek. The body moved and Yami jumped back like a startled kitten caught off guard by the object it had been curiously examining. His heart fluttered at the sight. Hope resurrected and repaired the broken organ. His eyes gazed transfixed on the suddenly very still, very human form.

Suddenly, Kaiba's body stirred again. He pushed himself to his elbows pausing to look at his hands. His gaze wandered to his palms, which he ran up his arms and touched his knees, then his shoulders, then his face with an expression of surprise, wonder and sheer joy. "Yami," Seto's voice was rough and all breath. Unable to control himself any longer, Seto pulled his lover into his arms and held him tight.

Frozen by the fear that he was dreaming, Yami didn't know whether to return the hug for fear of waking up or continuing with his fantasy of Seto holding him. Seto hugged him with a strength that was different from his dragon form. He'd grown so used to the combination of cold dragon scales and heated human skin that Seto's sudden, very human, warmth felt too surreal to be true. But there was something deeply familiar in his grip. He held him no different than he did when he was a dragon. Carefully, Yami wrenched himself free from the hold. A grim piece of his heart still battled the rising hope. Seto stared at him confused and concerned but seeing the hesitant hope in the boy's eyes, offered Yami a gentle smile. "It's me."

Yami's eyes widened. He looked at the face he'd come to love with tears in his eyes, the same smile but without fangs the same sharp features minus the fin-shaped ears. The same beautiful blue eyes but instead of dragon slits, he saw beautiful round pupils of ice blue, surrounding black and white irises. The same human eyes he saw in the white dragon of his dreams. The same eyes his dream lover had when they danced in the rose garden. The same eyes that blazed with passion the night they'd made love. That brightened with life when they went flying. The same warmth, depth and love as the eyes of his beloved Dragon King.

"Seto," Yami choked his name, joyful tears spilled over his cheeks unable to stop. Seto took Yami's cheeks in his hands, brushed away the tears with his thumbs and nodded with a small smile.

Unable to contain himself any longer, Yami released a shaky, happy cross between a delightful squeal and a laugh and threw his arms around Seto's neck with such force, he knocked them both over. Seto fell back, startled by the sudden embrace but returned it with a laugh. He held Yami close as he collapsed into a crying, laughing mess. For a while Seto just help him like that, letting Yami cry until he was too exhausted. Yami lifted his head and met Seto's eyes. The Dragon King smiled at his lover. They leaned closer, Seto's eyes fluttered closed…

SMACK!

The sudden sharp sting of a palm across his cheek caused Seto's head to spin to the side. A collection of surprised gasps and dropping jaws echoed in the background.

"Ow!" Overcome more from shock than the actual blow, Seto raised a hand to the abused area and winced at the throbbing pain. "What the hell was that for?" he demanded more flabbergasted than angry.

When he looked up, Yami had his head bowed, his arm hadn't come down from its position and his body was visibly shaking. "That," Yami's voice was dangerously low and laced with too many emotions, "Seto Kaiba," he only looked up when he said Seto's name and Seto could see the tears glittering on his lashed and anguished wet eyes. "Was for thinking you could sacrifice yourself, tell me your love me, kiss me, die then come back from the dead and not expect me to give you hell for it!" Yami yelled, towering over Seto with his voice, puncturing each word. "Do. You. Have _any_. Idea. What you put me through? I thought you were dead, Seto. _Dead_! Not I kiss you or tell you I love you and you come back because of a dumb spell or some true love nonsense, dead!" Yami's fist shook at his side and Seto stumbled back as Yami advanced towards him. Seto's heart ached with guilt seeing Yami's anguished eyes and tears. His shaking had grown worse and his weak knees stumbled to the point where Seto feared he'd collapse.

Finally, Yami released a loud huff, his arms fell limply at his and he stood on shaking legs. "I thought I'd lost you, Seto. Forever. And it…I felt like….Like I was dying—"

He was cut off when Seto pulled him into a tight embrace and gently kissed his lips. It was a different kiss: it was calm and reassuring, but filled with love and in it was an earnest promise.

"Alright," Seto said when he pulled away. "I deserved that," he said with a laugh and gently brushed Yami's tears and cheeks with his thumbs. "I thought I was dead too, that's why I was so happy you came back."

"Did you think I wouldn't?" Yami asked, wiping his eyes with his arm.

"No, part of me knew somehow you'd find a way. You always did," Seto said gently kissing the junction of Yami's lips and cheek. "But I promise, for as long as we're together, I'll never put you through anything like that again."

Yami was still blushing from the two kisses, but was determined to remain angry and defiant. "Oh no, you are not sweet-talking your way out of this! I'm still mad at you—" He was cut off when Seto lifted him by his back and under his knees, laughing and spinning them around. "Seto," Yami screeched and latched onto the man's neck and trying to look threatening but it was impossible with the adorable blush pinking his face.

"You can be mad at me all you want, kitten. I'm still just happy you're here with me," Seto laughed happily, ignoring Yami's threatening eyes and angry growls of "I'm not a cat!" Seto smirked. "Would you prefer your other nickname, my little dragon rose?"

Yami sighed in defeat. "You're not going to let this go are you?" It wasn't a question. He knew Seto too well.

"Absolutely not," a triumphant grin curled across Seto's lips and moved to kiss Yami again. This time, however, Yami wrapped his arms around Seto's neck and returned the kiss with so much fervor that it caught Seto off guard. He matched Yami's passion determined to rid his precious rose of any fear that he'd leave again. He hugged Yami's body tight against his, like Yami would disappear if Seto let him go. The kiss ended earlier than either of them would've liked but neither cared. Before they could continue, Seto looked up and chuckled. Yami blinked at the sudden change in demeanor. Seto chuckled at his reaction and pointed a slender finger behind him. Yami turned slightly—and blushed ten shades redder.

The staff, who Yami had completely forgotten was there, stared at them with mixed expressions. Yugi covered his blushing face and mouth with tiny hands, failing miserably to stifle his giggling. Behind him, Serenity and Téa were also giggling. Mai flashed a triumphant smirk. Atem looked torn between shock, horror and rage but it was directed at Yami just as much as Seto. Faces torn between joy, shock, anger and embarrassment only made Yami's blush worse.

"I can never show my face in public again," Yami buried his blushing face, but Seto set him down, laughing.

"Master!" The moment Seto set Yami down, Syrus, Jaden, Chazz and Jesse bulldozed into their Master's chest, hugging him with all four limbs, teary eyes, and such force that they knocked Seto onto his bottom. Yami couldn't help but laugh at the adorable sight. Yugi wasted no time in hugging Yami.

"Don't ever scare us like that again!" Syrus cried.

"You jerk!" Chazz snapped, crying. "Don't you ever go dying like that again!"

"Yeah, what Chazz, said!" Jesse sniffed.

"I thought my heart was gonna stop!" Jaden cried.

"Kaiba, you bastard!" Bakura screamed wringing his hands. "I should punch you!"

"I would have if the kid hadn't beaten me to it!" Marik snorted.

"I should anyway!" Malik added under his breath.

"You jerk!" Joey added, towering over the fallen man. "Sacrificing yourself, dying like that and then coming back like nothing's wrong! Do you have any _idea_ what you put us all through!"

Seto couldn't help but flinch under all the stares. He knew he deserved them.

"Don't even think of doing anything that stupid again!" Mai scolded. "Or, if whatever it is doesn't kill you, I will!"

"Get in line, Mai," Zane added, surprisingly calm.

"Yeah, we'll hit him first!" Jesse mumbled into Seto's back.

"Hold it," Yami commanded, "But if anyone's going to hit Seto for risking his life and nearly getting killed, it's going to be me."

"That sounds fair," Duke whispered to Téa who laughed.

"Excuse me!" Seto yelled more annoyed than angry. He stood up taking the boys with him, who only tightened their hold around his legs, torso, arms and back. "Just in case none of you noticed, I'm alive! And I do _not _plan on dying again anytime soon. For the record, dying was no fun for me either!"

"Well," Téa chimed. "Given the circumstances, I think we can let this one slide."

"Damn right, you will," Seto commanded, gently prying the boys off him. "I may not be a dragon anymore but I'm still the Master of this castle."

"So does that mean this curse is really broken?" Atem asked, marching over, Miho, with Rebecca on her arm, followed nervously behind him.

Yami gently pried Yugi from his waist and smiled at his older brother. Protective eyes hadn't stopped glaring at the now very human Seto.

"To make a long story short, yes, the curse is broken, Ziegfried's dead, everyone is human again, and Seto is alive, Thank God," Yami expelled a sigh of liberation. His entire body felt so havy with relief it nearly made him sick.

"So that's it?" joey asked a tad disappointed. "Seems a bit anti-climactic?"

"You mean a light show and your Master coming back from the dead wasn't climatic enough?" Bakura retorted. "What the hell did you expect?"

"I don't know," Joey said, clenching and unclenching hands. "Maybe ta feel different, or fireworks, or" a crack of glass under his foot diverted his attention to the mess Seto and Ziegfried's battle had left behind. The scorched floor, the broken tiles, the shattered glass pieces: the once grand room they'd spent weeks preparing destroyed in mere minutes. "Or at least for the mess to clean itself up," he growled in cheated anger. "All that work cleaning this place up—wasted!"

"Could've been worse," Ryou chuckled. "Still not as bad as the main foyer."

"I rest my case," Joey added.

"Oh forget it," Mai laughed. "I say we deal with it in the morning and celebrate being alive for the first time in a hundred years," she said the last part while interlocking her arm with Joey's, a seductive smile on her red lips.

"I second that!" Bakura cheered lifting up Ryou, who squeaked in surprise. "Finally, I don't have to sleep next to that damn hearth!"

"Or in the guard tower," Marik cheered.

"Um, speaking of that?" Yugi pulled on Yami's sleeve, cutely. "Temie and I can stay here too, right?" he asked worried. Yami gave him a warm, reassuring smile, but before he could answer Seto cut him off.

"Of course, you're both staying here," Seto donned the voice of a gracious host. "You can even have Yami's room if you'd like? It's more than big enough for you and Atem."

"Are you sure there?" Yugi cocked his head to the side cutely. "Where is Yami going to sleep?"

Yami blushed prematurely. It worsened when Seto smirked and boasted, "With me, of course."

"Over my dead body," Atem protested immediately, shoving himself forward. He met Seto's pride with an indomitable stance. Lightning cracked between their eyes. With the danger and drama of earlier gone, Atem's older brother nature returned in full force. Recognizing the challenge, Seto's eyes lit up and initiated the first strike by draping an arm around Yami's waist. Yami suddenly felt like a scrap of meat between two lions, except one was his mother and the other was a potential mate, making the situation far more dangerous.

Salvation came in Yugi's innocent question, "Okay, then can we go to bed? I'm really tired." Yugi yawned loudly and rubbed his tired eyes.

"Of course," Seto broke his silent duel with Atem and bent to Yugi's eye-level. He greeted the boy with a smile so sweet that Yami's jaw dropped. "In fact, if you'd like, I'm sure my staff would love to take you there," he said with a smile to his staff.

"Okay," Yugi response was a tired smile and grabbed Atem's hand. Stunned to silence by the act, Atem put up no resistance when Yugi pulled on his arm, but used his free hand to grab Yami when the middle child walked away.

"And where exactly do you think you're going?" It was a question not a statement. Atem's true feelings evident in his warning eyes and the line of his mouth.

Yami sighed, hoping to avoid a fight, "We've been over this, Atem."

"I know we've been over it," Atem said with a fake smile that barely contained his displeasure, "Doesn't mean I'm happy about it."

Yami uncurled his fingers and gently shoved Atem to Yugi. "We'll talk about it in the morning," Yami said, surrendering Atem to the clutches of their baby brother who was clearly not to be denied at the moment.

Reluctantly, Atem surrendered, "Fine!" He flashed Kaiba one last glare. "I don't care if you're a man, dragon, demon or some bizarre hybrid: I find one hair on his head out of place, I'll see you dead by noon!"

He barely got off the last threat before Yugi violently tugged on his arm. "Come on."

Yami could only hide his red face. "We'll show you to your room," Chazz volunteered, with a bow.

"Wait a minute," Jesse jumped forward. "What about them?" He gestured as politely as he could to Miho, who still stood in the corner and the Duchess Rebecca, still stunned by the miracle she'd witnessed. The entire room froze with realization. Their eyes immediately diverted their attention to their Master, waiting for his decision.

Rebecca didn't wait for an answer. Regaining her mobility, she stepped from the shelter of Miho and walked with her head bowed. She stopped at the Dragon King's feet and bowed with all the respect of a noble addressing their superior. "Your majesty," she said graciously.

Normally, Seto would've corrected the title, but he wasn't ready to forgive the woman just yet. She had to earn that privilege. Still he donned the mask of a lord and listened.

"I understand completely that you don't trust me. I offer no justification for my actions. Only that I regret them. Truly, I do and if you'll allow me, I'd like to atone for my actions and…" she struggled to keep her voice steady. "With your permission, I'd like to start by creating identifications for you and your staff. My Grandfather kept extensive records of all the families of the area. I can create identification for everyone who needs them from those," she finished and remained silent, awaiting his decision with her head bowed.

Seto listened to her words but kept his eyes locked on her shaking form and rueful eyes. Sensing no lie in her words or manipulation in her actions, his gaze wandered towards his staff members who were split between condemnation and forgiveness. Even the Moutos were torn: Yami's mask was neutral, Atem's glare made his decision evident, but Yugi stepped forward. "That could help," Yugi said. "No one will believe everyone has been frozen for a hundred years. They'll need some form of identification, especially if they plan on leaving." He gave the King a comforting smile, but was clearly still intimidated by him.

Seto couldn't help but return the smile. "We'll deal with the issue in the morning," Seto concluded. "Take them to one of the spare rooms, but Duchess," Seto's eyes turned hard, when Rebecca raised her head. "If any harm comes to me, Yami, or my staff, I will end you myself."

No mercy clouded his threat and the duchess shivered at the force, but nodded. "You have my word."

Seto nodded, "Now, I'm going to bed. I suggest the rest of you to do the same." He took a step towards Yami—and flopped forward onto his face and stomach. "Ow, what the hell," Seto stood up and released Yami's hand to brush the dirt from his tattered clothes with as much dignity as he could muster after the embarrassing fall.

Unable to contain himself, Yami burst out laughing. Seto whirled around to glare at him but stumbled as he did do. Yami was quick to catch him and smiled half reassuringly half choking back his laughter, before placing the music box in his hand. "It's alright, you're probably just not used to balancing without your tail and wings," Yami explained, guiding Seto towards the West Wing hoping to salvage his lover's pride.

"Everyone go to bed!" Seto commanded over his shoulder.

"Night everyone," Yami smiled, following Seto to the West Wing.

XXXXX

A silence fell so heavily between them that it chilled Yami's spine with self-consciousness. Seto clung to him as they walked, the embrace was almost loving and longing but strong with desperation and his neutral mask betrayed no emotion. It hadn't changed since they left the ball room and Yami didn't like it. Was his pride still upset about earlier? Yami's laughter wasn't that bad was it? Did he still distrust Rebecca? He said she could stay, but was he that reluctant? No longer caring for the silence, Yami questioned, "Seto?" The Dragon King stopped at his name, but the action did little to comfort Yami. "Seto," Yami called again, "Are you all—"

Before Yami could finish, he was whirled around and pulled into a powerful kiss, but there was no dominance in it, only sheer passion. Yami melted into it and fell into Seto's arms. His balance still off, Seto leaned forward taking Yami with him. With his balance faltering he pressed his arms against the wall, to keep them up and wrapped the free one tightly about Yami's waist. His arms encircled Seto's waist deepening their kiss. Oh God he'd missed this: Seto's strong arms holding him, his kisses on his lips, his body pressed against his. The kiss ended sooner than he would've liked, but his determination was strong. "Seto?" he asked again.

"Yami," Seto punctuated his name with another kiss. "I missed you so much," Seto let him go to smooth his hand through Yami's hair. "I still can't believe you're here. That _I'm _here! I thought I'd never see you again after all this…I…" Seto tone was choked, sheer joy tightened his voice and the sheen of tears brightened his eyes. Fearing he was in distress, Yami leaned closer to him and gripped his chin. Seeing the worry in his eyes, Seto kissed him again and said "I love you, Yami…I wanted to say it so many times, but I just couldn't and I thought I'd never get to until…I'm sorry about that."

Yami leaned up and kissed him quiet. "I was wondering why you were so quiet," he said when he pulled away from the stunned man's lips. "I love you too, Seto," Yami said trying to keep himself from breaking down. "I really do."

Seto wasted no time: he swept Yami into his arms and spun him around, both of them laughing and kissing again. It was all he needed to hear, what he'd wanted so desperately to be true. Secretly, he'd suspected Yami's feelings, but to actually hear it in his voice, coming from his lips: Yami loved him, really loved him. Seto punctuated each "I love you" with another kiss. Yami laughed and returned each one, feeling freer and more alive than he ever had. The feeling was so invigorating that his entire body felt weightless. His heart beat so fast that he swore it had spouted wings and was flying in his chest, even his spirit felt like it had reached a higher plane of existence. Was this what true love was? What his mother and father had always told him? What he'd read in stories? The reality was far better than any story could ever hope to be, because this was real. He was really here, in Seto's arms, kissing his prince, his prince who loved him more than anything and who he loved with all his heart and soul. It was…surreal, to say the least.

Their arrival was like a blur. Yami wasn't even aware they'd made it to Seto's room until Seto set him down to close and lock the door. Seto leaned against the door with a seductive smirk like a predator about to pounce. Carefully he placed the still opened music box on the dresser by the door, without removing his gaze from Yami. "We rushed the last few times," he said taking long strides towards his lover. "This time, I'm going to devour you: wholly and completely. Just like the first time." With those words, the dam of their emotions broke.

No longer the nervous virgin, Yami met Seto's smirk with one of his own and instead grabbed the front of Seto's shirt and dragged him down to his level and pulled him into a fierce kiss laced with so much passion that it caught Seto off guard. Seto returned it by clenching Yami's arms and pulling him closer. Yami could taste the desperation on Seto's wicked tongue as it explored his eager mouth. It brought back every memory, every touch and every spoken word between them. Every fight and obstacle they'd overcome, only served to make their relationship stronger, their love stronger. Their time apart simply confirmed what they both already knew: they were soul-mates; that night had proved it and they'd both be damned if anything every tried to separate them again.

Only lack of breath forced them apart. "I need you," Seto said stroking Yami's cheek, "Properly." His desires clearly evident in his eyes, but the love in them brightened his eyes to an electric blue. Yami trembled at the combination of Seto's declaration and the fervour in his eyes. His body screamed to be touched by Seto, his very being trembled and latched on to Seto with an anxiety only Seto's touch could quench. Yami matched Seto's husky smile with a seductive smirk of his own, determined to give Seto everything that the man offered himself. He'd waited for so long to find this person, the one who made him feel whole, and now that he had him, he wasn't going to let him go. Only Seto would ever hold Yami like this, to kiss him, make love to him: only Seto reserved that right. Their lips met again, but unlike their previous kisses there was no dominance in it, instead they stripped their love raw and shared it between them. Their eyes closed and their lips locked, simply holding the other's trembling form close and enjoying the feel of the other's weight pressed against them. Their bodies moulded together, fitting perfectly against the other.

They fell onto the bed with a soft thump and the magnificent mattress welcomed their weight. Hands wandered over clothed flesh, seeking skin, gaining purchase of the other under them and trying to devoid the other of garments. Yami managed to remove the tattered remains of Seto's shirt without breaking their kiss, but Seto broke away when he slid Yami's coat off his shoulder's recognizing it as his own. "I can't believe you kept this," Seto said as he broke the kiss, removing the coat that was once his. He recognized the intricate stitching as Malik's, but the shoulders were altered, the torso re-shaped to fit a more slender figure, but not a single hem or image was disturbed. Malik's work alright: the same coat Yami wore the night of their dance, the night they'd first made love.

"I couldn't leave without it," Yami explained. He wrapped his arms around Seto's neck, spread his legs and bent his knees cradling Seto closer to him. "I could barely leave the first time." His hand scrunched the coat to him. "At least this way I could take a part of you with me." Yami rubbed his eyes with the back of his sleeve, and shook those memories away. He didn't want to think about the past, it couldn't be undone. All he wanted now was to think about Seto and their future together, and their deep, deep love.

Seto just smiled and kissed him again. He trailed his hands up and down Yami's spine, gentle fingers ghosting over his sensitive spots, enticing tiny mewls of desire from Yami's lips. His palms fanned over the boy's stomach making him giggle. Seto's fingers spidered over Yami's thighs before stroking the junction between his hips and pelvis. His eyes drank in the sight of Yami mewling and squirming under him. He'd never thought he'd get to touch Yami again like this. His sharp claws and hard scales gone, the fear and caution that dictated his actions before had vanished and his determined hands snaked up Yami's shirt and under his waistband, determined to take advantage of the new freedom. Yami arched into the touch.

"Let's get you out of these," Seto whispered huskily in Yami's ear, his digits quickly accumulating to the young man's hip.

Smirking, Yami's hands fell away from Seto's neck and settled on his own hemline. Slowly, teasingly, Yami drew up his waist line revealing his smooth stomach inch by inch, then crossed his arms over his stomach, gripped the opposite hemlines, lifted the fleecy garment over his head and discarded it a forgotten corner of the room with a swipe of his arms, his smirk still on his face. Seto wasted no time and pounced on Yami like a jungle cat. He pressed his lips to Yami and pinned him to the bed, trapping his hands above Yami's head, but Yami was too lost in the sheer fervour of the kiss he didn't care. His legs instinctively spread and his knees rose trapping Seto between them. Seto's free hand stroked up and down Yami's side and hips. Yami moaned into their kiss, breaking it prematurely, but Seto's lips immediately found his lips and collar, littering the skin with butterfly kisses and nips, enticing sweet mewls and moans of delight from Yami's sweet lips. Each one sent a thrill of pride through Seto's being.

Only he was allowed to see Yami like this just like only Yami was allowed to see him vulnerable. To everyone else he was the Dragon King, the Master, the Enemy, the Saviour, the opinions were endless, but to Yami he was just Seto and _only_ to Yami he was just Seto. He nipped Yami's neck sweetly, carefully removing the ruby choker and placing it on the night table. "I can't believe you kept this…" Seto gave a bright smile that made Yugi's heart flutter.

"How could I leave without it?" Yami leaned up a bit and gently tapped the sapphire about Seto's neck. Seto rewarded him by trailing fluttering kisses down Yami's chest to his naval, while Seto's free hand tip-toed its way to the belt of Yami's pants. Yami moaned Seto's name at the joint actions and lifted his feet to kick off his boots, the same time Seto began working his pants and undergarments off his hips. Despite the hasty fervour in his actions, Seto was gentle in them, the touch so different from when he was a dragon. There was more confidence in his touches. Yami's own hands yanked at their restraints to do the same to Seto, but the man's grip was strong, surprisingly stronger than when he was a dragon. Still, Yami arched his hips, and lifted his bottom to encourage Seto's actions. Seto pulled the garments to his knees then paused when his arms could reach no lower, his body unable to stretch further without releasing Yami's hands. Confused by the pause Yami opened his eyes and blinked.

Seto shook his head with a snort and chuckle of realization. "I think I took having a tail for granted," he said releasing Yami's hands. He finished removing Yami's lower garments while kicking off his own boots: a loud clunk following the flutter of cloth hitting the ground. Next he unclasped his own choker and laid it carefully next to its twin giving Yami's hungry lips access to his neck. Seto's pants soon followed and he returned to his lover. His reward was Yami revealed in all his beautiful glory, leaning back on his arms, his legs folded at his sides and a challenging smile on his face.

Seto met his eyes with the challenge. The world around them vanished in the instant. Seto crawled over Yami, dragging the comforter with him and upending it over his shoulders. He gently pushed Yami back against the bed and Yami willingly allowed himself to fall backwards, his arms fell out from underhand and he landed with a small 'oaf'. Seto lay himself against Yami's body pinning his arms with his elbows and moving his hips in between Yami's, both serving to spread his legs and keep him pinned down. Seto balanced himself on one arm and wrapped the other around Yami's upper back, holding the boy close and kissed his forehead tenderly, then planted an identical kiss on Yami's lips. Yami responded to the kiss with fervent desperation, enclosing his lower lip over Seto's and sucking gently. His hands smoothed up and down Seto's arms, massaging his biceps, while Seto's hand moved up and down Yami's sides, tickling his stomach, hips and things with ticklish, feathery touches. Yami surrendered to the king's treatment, moaning and savouring each amorous touch, but he soon grew tired of the treatment and clenched Seto's arms and pulled him closer against his body, Seto's arms wrapped around Yami's back and shoulders, pulling him flush against Seto's stern body. The evidence of their passion growing and pressing against the other enticing a moan from their lips and forcing the kiss to break, but neither minded. Their eyes drank in the sight of the other's naked glory, content with just lying there holding the other. Yami smiled and nudged his cheek against Seto's chest and drew odd intricate lines across his chest tracing random shapes and patterns, or lines of the bone. He purred when Seto ran his finger through his hair and petted the skin, hoping to encourage Seto to hold him a little longer. Seto's fingers petted his back and stroked down the spine, causing Yami to arch up into the touch and deeper into Seto's chest, moaning in delight.

Gently, Seto laid Yami down, pressing himself flush against him and leaving Yami at the mercy of the Dragon King's fluttering kisses. Yami mewled at each touch and rocked his hips up, causing their lower halves to melt together creating a delicious friction between them. In response, Seto's hands latched onto Yami's hips, and stroked circles into the soft flesh with his thumbs. His hands wisped up and down the junction between his thighs and legs, kneading the soft flesh, drooling at the warmth radiating from them and enticing him to move deeper. Yami threw his head to the side: loud gasps of pleasure escaping him. His hands abandoned Seto to clench the bed sheets next to him, his nails raked into the cloth, his legs bunched and released at his sides unable to do much else.

Seto's eyes drank in the sight of Yami squirming under him, writhing into his every touch. Taking it a step forward, he leaned down and used his elbows to both spread Yami's thighs and keep him pinned in place: his fingers stroked Yami's pelvis, his lips teased his thighs with kisses and he teased Yami's naval with his tongue mimicking his kisses. The act made Yami screech and left him a hyperventilating mess at the mercy of Seto's kisses. But Yami's eyes shone with love and desire. His lips parted in a voiceless desire and his trembling hands and limbs struggled to move, determined to urge the King forward.

It was almost too much. When Seto told Yami he would devour him, he never expected this. To be so consumed by passion and to be loved so fiercely left him feeling weak, limp and completely vulnerable, but there was a sort of freedom in the submissiveness. The world melted away and his whole world was the man whose arms he was in. The man who loved Yami with all his heart and soul, who would do anything to make him happy, who only wanted to see him smile and make him laugh and who would never leave his side and who would be always be there for him during every struggle every rough patch so long as it was mutual between them. The single realization made everything else in the world feel secondary, every struggle, every hardship all seemed minor and easier to overcome so long as he has his man at his side, as long as he was in his arms, as long as they were together. It was a terrifying liberation, but one he welcomed with open arms.

At the blissful look on Yami's face, Seto could wait no longer. He distracted Yami with a kiss and reached towards his night stand. He growled when his fingers returned with nothing. He broke away to glare at it and growled when he realised the object he'd been reaching for: the crystal vial from the first night, had fallen to the floor. Breaking the kiss and the moment, much to Yami's confusion and displeasure, Seto leaned his upper half over the bed, grabbed the mischievous bottle and clenched it tightly in his hand. Only when he was secure it would not vanish again, did he return to his love with a giddy smile. "I absolutely took having a tail for granted," Seto said with a nervous smile. Yami couldn't help but laugh and spread his legs in anticipation.

A smirk curled across Seto's lips as he uncorked the bottle and spilled the amber nectar over his fingers. Pinning Yami's hips in place with his elbows, and pressing gentle kisses to the boy's stomach he started encircling his entrance with his finer. Yami giggled at the ticklish treatment, barely feeling the entrance of the first finger until it started massaging his softness. The feeling was both pleasant and strange. Hoping to distract him, Seto's tongue slipped into his naval and he wrapped his free hand around Yami's neglected shaft and lightly squeezed it. The combination of the two pleasure points became too much and, with his hips pinned, Yami's back curved into a desperate arch, a part-moan, part-scream, part-gasp escaped his lips, his own body unsure how to voice its pleasure, the foreign invader gone. The second intruder did not go unnoticed, especially when Seto began scissoring the opening. Yami made a fist and bit it to keep from crying out, his free hand clenching the sheets, his back tried to buck up, but it was impossible to say up and he fell back against the bed, panting. Seto continued licking his naval, kissing his stomach and stroked Yami's member hoping to distract him, while his fingers wandered the warm passage pressing about his fingers. Seto carefully, but quickly entered a third one hoping to avoid as much discomfort as possible. It frustrated him that he was unable to map Yami's insides and keenly as he did as a dragon, again he cursed the loss of his tail. Still his fingers continued to probe, seeking Yami's most sensitive point.

Yami released his fist, but clenched his eyes shut. The pleasure of Seto handling his member crashed with the foreign touches of Seto's fingers created an odd sensation. They were different from Seto's tail: they were softer, multiple and stroked his insides with precision, but compared to the first time, they felt strange, a new experience his body wasn't sure how to handle. Suddenly, Yami's eyes flew open, his mouth opened in a voiceless scream and his entire body shot up to the best of its ability. A familiar, erotic sensation shot through his veins filling him with ecstasy.

Seto leaned up and flashed a triumphant smirk. Releasing Yami's weeping member, he held the boys hip in place and continued to probe Yami's insides with his fingers, grinning wildly as Yami screeched in desire and arched into the touch. Continuing to prepare Yami's insides he grabbed Yami's member again and squeezed. Yami screamed and collapsed bonelessly, his entire body liquefied under him: the pleasure rocketing through his body becoming too much to bear and electrocuted every nerve in his body. Satisfied with his lover's state, Seto removed his fingers and released Yami's member, but was surprised when Yami forced himself to sit up: a wicked gleam in his eye and a smile Seto knew too well curling at the corners of his lips.

Seto humoured him, grinning "And what are yo-OO!" Seto was cut off when his pride was suddenly doused in something cold and wet then ensnared by something else. Looking down he gasped, seeing Yami had poured the remainder of the vial onto his growing member, his hands spreading the liquid by clenching his member tightly. Seto's entire body felt powerless and invigorated all at once. He fought hard to keep control but his body shook with each tremor of pleasure every time Yami stroked him. The young man even had the audacity to smile! Unable to take anymore, Seto grabbed Yami's oil soaked hands and pinned the boy to the mattress beneath him, a devilish smirk met Yami's blinking eyes.

"You little imp," Seto licked his lips, like a wolf ready to devour its mate. Yami found the look irresistible rather than intimidating and only smiled and spread his legs in anticipating invitation, enticing his lover further. Seto surrendered and kissed Yami sweetly, his hips slipping between Yami's spread thighs, his member seeking the warmth of Yami's entrance.

Yami hissed and moaned at once: the initial ache was a painful reminder of just how long it had been sense they were together like this, but it quickly transformed into the sheer pleasure of completeness. Seto didn't even try and contain his loud moans and sighs of relief and delight: his body nearly burst from the sheer pleasure of being complete, like it had finally been reunited with the missing piece of his soul.

"I love you," Yami leaned up to kiss him and thrusting his hips, enticing his lover to move.

"I love you too," Seto punctuated with a kiss and shifted his hips, the action causing his member to brush against Yami's prostate making him half-moan, half scream into the kiss. Still inside his lover, Seto shifted his hips again, confirming his suspicions when Yami screamed again, his hands flew to grab Seto's arms and bury his face in the man's neck. Seto pulled out quickly but thrust back in deliciously slow earning a loud moan from his lover. He repeated the action until Yami's shaking hands lost their grip and he fell back against the bed. Seto leaned over him and kissed Yami's forehead, pulling out again, but this time when he thrust back in Yami arched his hips forward, meeting his lover halfway and putting Seto deeper inside him. Their fingers intertwined together and remained so for the rest of the night. They collapsed back against the bed kissing, thrusting and meeting the other in perfect sync. Their love making soon formed a rhythm of their own making, both slow and rapid, but tender and sweet and laced with passion, simply enjoying the other's touches and presence, and it reflected in their movements. The depth, the heat, the movement, the passion: all of it stripped raw and shared between them.

Yami screamed and writhed and arched his trembling form, as Seto continued to pound into his willing body, moaning at the feel of him massage his constricting insides. His body arched into each thrust, desperate to capture the warmth of his lover. Before long, Seto released his hips and wrapped his arms around Yami's shoulders and back, pulling him flush against him. Yami exhaled deeply, his eyes fluttered closed as Seto continued to pound into his willing body. His body performed on its own accord, increasing its speed, automatically each time Seto heard Yami moan and writhed beneath him. His succulent heat enclosing over him, nearly sending him into a fit of pleasure, Seto was almost reluctant to pull away, but increased the speed of his thrusts but kept a slow rhythm, determined to keep the time of their separation as minimal as possible, but also wanting to savour his time with Yami. He released a scream of his own, each time Yami crashed his hips into his. Hands trailed over his back, sending his every nerve on fire and he pulled Yami's hips to his frantically harder. His arms entangled around the smaller, slender, body into his arms. In response, Yami's pale arms locked around Seto's shoulders.

Their lips crashed together in a desperate kiss. Their end crept upon them: their pace became frantic with need, passion laced their movements and encouraged their determination to remain complete for as long as possible. Yami's arms tightened around Seto's neck as his body grew more sensitive, their kisses becoming deeper. He bucked his hips and Seto increased his speed, hitting Yami's prostate at different angles, a hand moved to stroke his member gently, lovingly. It was too much, the combination of the three points of pleasure hitting him all at once, his body erupted and Yami released with a cry of Seto's name. His body gave way under him, leaving him at the mercy of his love. Seto caught him as his body collapsed and laid him lovingly on the bed. Yami's insides constricting impossibly warm and unbearably tight about his pride made Seto growl in desire, along with the knowledge that Yami was still sensitive from his release. The combination of the two made his thrusts more ruthless, literally thrusting moan after moan from Yami's trembling body, until he, Seto, could hold himself back no longer. His body shook from the force of his release, Yami's name on his lips as he filled the young man with his essence.

Yami released an 'oaf' of discomfort when Seto collapsed onto him. The man uttered a breathy "Sorry," before carefully slipping himself from Yami's body. He apologized again when Yami hissed at the action and pulled the boy into a hug and kissed his blushing cheek.

"I love you, so much, my dragon rose," Seto said littering Yami's face with kisses and love.

"I love you too," Yami smiled, nuzzling his cheek against Seto's chest and purred when the man stroked his hair. He stopped when he heard Yami giggling.

"What's so funny?" Seto asked, half curious.

"I just realized Atem's going to be furious with you for this," Yami said manoeuvring himself to lie on Seto's chest.

Seto snorted. "Please, I doubt we were the only ones making a racket. I happen to know more than half the staff are married or have lovers. Do you honestly think after a hundred years of separation they'd be ready to wait another night?" Seto said resting his chin in his hand. "I could barely wait another second when I saw you."

It was Yami's turn to snort. "Be that as it may," he pressed a finger to the Dragon King's nose. "You better start being _very_ nice to my brothers if you want to get on their good sides, Atem more than Yugi."

"Now why would I do that?" Seto asked teasingly.

"Because," Yami grinned, "I love my brothers very much, and I love you, and you love me, so if this is going to work, you have to be on somewhat good terms with my family, don't you agree?"

Seto would've shot up were he not so tired. Instead, he smacked his forehead crashed into his pillow and muttered curses under his breath. Yami laughed and rolled off him, but Seto was quick to roll onto his side and pull Yami into his arms. The two lovers quickly fell asleep like that, smiles on their faces, holding the other in their arms, reunited after a nearly impossible hardship.

Neither of them noticed the mouth of the dragon figurine curving into a smile, or the tear that leaked from its jeweled eye.

* * *

How great am I? I break all your hearts, make your laugh and then throw in a lemon for keeps ^-^ NOW I hope you all understand why the second half of this chapter took nearly 2 DAYS to do! I sat at my computer ALL day and didn't finish it until 4 last night! and every time i tried typing it, i didn't get anything until 1 in the morning: my mom was so pissed! I'm 22 and she's still telling me to go to bed XD n

Also, I wanted to make a note about lemons. This is probably, my tenth lemon, I've read TONS and in case none of you notices I always try to avoid the "lemon cliches" that i see ALL the time in lemons: one being the "nipple thing"-which as i learned in collage when a floor did a bulletin board for Safe Sex weeks about "Boys and sex" does NOTHIG for guys: girls yes, guys no, and the second is that the uke always gets a blowjob before actual intercourse, and I can honestly, say i don't know ANYONE who's actually done that during sex. I may still be a virgin but I'm still 22 and know a lot about this stuff and i like to keep everything even my lemons, realistic so I wanted to point that out for future reference to people.

Also THIS STORY IS NOT OVER! There's still two more chapters left to this story, including my BIGGEST plot twists yet! ;) Cross your fingers I get them and my paper done with in the next 3 weeks...I got the first part of the next chapter already written and the plan in motion! I can't wait!

IMPORTANT! IF YOU HAVE NO SIGNED MY POLL DO SO IMMEDIATELY! If you love animals its a poll to help shelters in New York city, Notorious for their lack of funding and ill conditions, and we're trying to rally the governor to change stuff so copy the link post it on your pages and post a note about it in your stories.

Also I started ANOTHER ART CONTEST ON DA! this one is for my two-shot the Perfect Gift! the deadline for submissions ins New years!


	34. Chapter 33: The Final Spell

(FAINTS) 23 days, a final paper, a one and 2/3s a final, roughly ten work days and 12 hours of typing later I FINALLY got this chapter finished. Thank God for work and class, i got a lot of snippet writing done then.

I wanted to get it up sooner, but my paper took longer than i thought and both my finals have been SUPER annoying, but I got it up and now I have only one less! (Cheers bittersweet cries)

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing but the plot, the music box, the clothes and plot devices. Characters belong to Takehashi, and the beauty and the beast story this was based off of belongs to the French authoress and the adaption version belongs to disney

**Dedications: **To all my wonderful fans and viewers with special thanks to Bakurafangirl and KaedeOkami for betaing.

**IMPORTANT NOTE: I've started another art contest on my DA page for my short story The Perfect Gift for the Holiday and so far i haven't received any entries, so if you have a DA, Tumblr or live journal please participate ^-^ I want this to be fun for the holiday Thanks!**

ONLY ONE CHAPTER LEFT PEOPLE I CAN'T BELIEVE AFTER 4 YEARS (which i will NEVER do AGAIN!) This story will be finished! It was one hell of a ride but I am so proud of it!

* * *

Chapter 33: The Final Spell

Seto Kaiba was the Dragon King. He had fought in a revolution when he was fifteen, raised three younger brothers, became a diplomat before he was 18, fought wars and even controlled an entire empire. He'd then willingly sacrificed himself to spare his empire from being ruled by a mad man, suffered a hundred years as some grotesque dragon-human hybrid. And to add to that hundred years of suffering he'd also endured the worst pain that came with being human, threw an entire village of idiots out of his castle, rescued the love of his life when he fell off the roof, survived crashing through a window _and _using every drop of his power to destroy an insane sorcerer and free his people, died just after telling the love of his life that he loved him, and even managed to survive his Red Rose's wrath and exuberance when he was resurrected. And he'd do it all again rather than face the new unstoppable force that sat before him: one powerful enough to make everything in the past seem like a mere child's game at best.

Yugioh Solomon Mouto, more commonly known as Yugi, Yami's younger brother, a younger brother, Seto reminded himself, whom Yami loved very, very deeply, and whose first impression of him was as a terrible, foul-tempered monster who dragged and locked him and his oldest brother in a cold, dank, dark tower (which in his defense, he was not proud of) and stole his beloved middle brother away from him. Even if he'd returned him and saved his and Yami's lives on more than one occasion; the boy's opinion of him was not very good. But he needed the boy's good graces. Otherwise he'd never have any hope of maintaining a future with his beloved. He refused to come between Yami and his family and right now; that meant he needed to put himself on the little one's good side. Forming anything other than a mutual devotion and care for Yami, and a possible respect mixed with bitter rivalry with Atem, was out of the question. The hot-tempered man had tried to tear him apart once already. The morning after his resurrection, he had no idea how Atem managed to learn about their rendezvous the night before, but it was only through Jim and Zane's intervention that both men were still alive, though Yami remained extremely prickly towards them both for the rest of the day. At least the common question of where Yami got his spunk, defiance and bold-temper was answered.

It had been a week since that night and based on the boy's large, hard eyes and perpetual pout, which would look cute if Seto didn't know the truth behind it, that opinion may have improved but hadn't changed.

This was not going to end well.

Yugi's purple eyes narrowed when he looked at Seto. Said Dragon King was nervously trying to look anywhere but the boy's judgmental eyes. Yami had stepped out for a few moments to help Mai, leaving the two alone.

"Do you love my brother," Yugi said suddenly, causing Seto's head to snap up.

"Yes," Seto said smiling. "I love your brother very much." He tried to sound as confident as possible, even as Yugi made him nervous.

"I suppose so," Yugi said smiling and playing with the swirls on his new coat that Malik made him. The moment the seamstresses and the tailor got their hands on the cute little boy, even Yami was powerless to stop them. Unlike Yami, however, Yugi delighted in trying on his new clothes and modeling for them. Atem had been more reluctant but even he was no match for their clutches. "Since you're always kissing him and making love to him."

Seto choked at the response and looked at the boys choke, "Pardon?"

Yugi giggled. "Well I see you kiss him all the time. And Temy was mad 'cause you made love to him. I didn't know what he meant but if it's love then I guess it okay," he smiled innocently, but Seto couldn't help but wonder if it was a fake innocence. Suddenly Yugi's gaze turned hard, his pout still evident. "But I'm still mad at you for locking us up!"

Seto frowned. "I'm very sorry about that, truly I am," he said honestly.

Yugi manoeuvred himself onto his knees and look into Seto's eyes, searching for a lie. "I believe you," he said with a smile, then pouted. "But I'm still mad."

Seto smiled. "That's okay, little one. Hopefully, in time I can earn your forgiveness," he said bowing his head graciously. "May I start by offering you some tea?" Seto asked handing over a teacup of Bakura's chocolate tea as a peace offering.

Yugi smiled at the gesture. "Yes…" he said plopping his bottom back on the couch, the tail of his new purple coat pooling around him, and taking the tea cup. "So," he asked innocently. "What is love-making?"

Seto choked on his tea.

XXXX

"How have we been cleaning this place for a damn week and it's _still_ a mess?" the Maître de complained to no one in particular as he descended from the ladder. His wings were well missed. Once down, he gathered the tattered remains of the drapes he'd unhooked into a large pile of fabric scraps, making a note to tell Marik they needed new curtains.

The state of the castle had improved greatly after a weeks' worth of cleaning, but evidence of the final battle with Ziegfried was still seared into the wood. The main foyer had been cleaned easily enough, but seven days of cleaning away debris, broken furniture and floor pieces; scrubbing scorch marks from walls and floors, sweeping up glass and replacing windows had done little to increase the status of the castle's ballroom. The biggest heartbreak had been the loss of the stained glass windows. Years of hard work, history and artistic passion and the majestic dragon of the ceiling was gone in a single night. Replaceable, yes, but the blow was a hard one nonetheless. It had taken days alone just to sweep up all the glass, but the staff was determined and even the Moutos and Seto had volunteered to aid with the cleaning.

"Mr. Joseph?" The sound of his name broke the maître de's mental rant.

A young pale blond boy, whom he'd grown fond of, adjusted his spectacles with one hand and used the other to scoop up the discarded drapes. "Where do you want these?" he asked sweetly, his voice still young and unmarred by puberty.

Joey smiled at the politeness and said "Bring 'em to the seamstress, Tomoya. Malik'll never forgive us if we wasted all that cloth."

Tomoya left with a cheerful "Okay," and headed down the hall. His mood mollified, Jou laughed loudly, unwittingly invoking the curiosity of the Kaiba mansion's orphan volunteers. Miho giggled at the reactions. She giggled even more when one girl, Luna, tugged on her skirt and asked if Mr. Joseph was alright. Pegasus had rarely laughed after his wife's death—real laughter anyway. It hadn't surprised her that this foreign reaction of Jou's was met with curiosity and concern.

"Alright, everyone," Jou calmed himself down enough to quall their worry. "Let's finish up here and when Tomoya gets back, we'll see what Bakura and Ryou are cookin' in the kitchen?"

The youngster's eyes lit up their little voices cheered.

XXXXX

"Easy, Phantom, I'm almost done," Yami mollified the impatient animal to still. Phantom winced when Yami pulled on the bandages but stilled, allowing his owner to tie them tightly but gently around the horse's legs. "Don't worry, buddy," Yami promised, hopping to his feet and stroking the horse's neck. "After a few more days, you'll be running just like you used to."

The horse whined happily and nuzzled Yami's hair.

"He's a tough horse," Jim said, dropping a large piled of hay into Phantom's stall. "Those legs of his'll heal up in no time, though I can't say the same for his attitude, right Shirley?" Jim teased, addressing his crocodile.

Shirley growled and burrowed deeper into the warm hay nest she'd made for herself against the back wall, warmed by the boiler on the other side. Of all the castle's residents, Shirley was the least pleased about regaining her original form, now that her immunity to the Eastern European chill was gone. She'd had no trouble displaying her disgruntled emotions about the issue either.

"Oh don't worry, girl." Yami bent down and balanced himself on his heels to speak to her. "In a few weeks the weather will be nice enough to move everyone back to the outer stables and you'll get to soak up all the warm weather," Yami promised and stroked her nose. She purred into the touch until Phantom swatted Yami with his tail. "Hey!" Yami playfully scolded.

"Be nice, you two," Jim said dumping a bucket of fresh water into the nearby trough. "Otherwise, I won't ask Yami to help out anymore, and you know how different it's been since the Master can't stand to be away from him," Jim teased.

Phantom and Shirley both panicked. Yami covered his mouth trying and failing not to laugh at their bulging eyes. His shaking betrayed his calm illusion. The horse and crocodile immediately politened their posture and addressed the other with a bow of their heads. The sight only made Yami laugh harder, until he had to hold his sides to keep himself upright.

"Do they do this often?" Yami paused to clear his throat, still catching his breath.

"Pretty much," Jim shrugged his shoulders and knelt next to Shirley's hiding place. "Would you come out for some steamed cod?" he bribed. Shirley flicked her nose, intriguingly at the promise of fish.

Deciding to let the two enjoy their alone time, Yami turned to Phantom with a smile. "Oats or apples?" he asked. Phantom swatted him with his tail and Yami spat black wisps from his mouth and fixed his hair, with a laugh. "Apples it is then," Yami said stripping his coat on the way inside.

The boiler room air was thicker than usual with fading smoke and steam. The heat combated the winter cold but not as strong with the rising spring, but all Yami could smell was the crisp, delicious scent of Bakura's cooking.

XXXXX

Stew boiled over an open flame on the stove, thick with juicy vegetables and bleeding chunks of various animal meats. Pies freshly removed from the oven cooled on the table filing the air with crispy cinnamon scented smoke. Carrots, mushrooms and tomatoes disappeared under the blade of a kitchen knife only to reappear decimated in sliced salad. Cheese platters surrounded an assortment of fruits and sandwiches: Bakura grinned triumphantly at the lunch spread. It had felt wonderful to work at his trade with human hands again. Strange, the curse was broken yet the still felt the kitchen's spell over him. Ironic since when the curse began he'd hated his beloved hearth. Even before the curse, he'd rarely ventured beyond his kitchen sanctuary, preferring the secret world it offered: dreams were created and destroyed, proposals were given, met, accepted and rejected, secrets told and lives ruined, rumors began and gossip spread, beautiful tasteful things were created and destroyed, notes were passed and rendezvous carried out, true intensions and personalities revealed, and he was at the center of it.

No one gave the man at the hearth a second glance and he'd done little to make himself known. A trick he'd learned from his days as a thief on the streets where he'd learned the best way to gain any information at all was to not ask a single question. His partial to fire had been his trademark, a warning to the monarchy and the nobles of their court who he'd stole from, small compensation since they'd stolen far worse than he'd ever could: people's lives, homes, possessions, whole families, livelihoods. It made the Scorch Thief, as they'd called him; look saint-like by comparison. Kaiba mansion would've been his biggest score had he not stumbled in too early. The kitchen had always been his entry point: the best place to scope for information and the best place to infiltrate: no one ever noticed an extra servant. That day, however, he'd stumbled in on the one thing he'd never seen: a noble helping a servant, the distinction recognizable by the fabric of their clothing alone, cleaning dishes! Bakura had seen all nobles as pompous, spoiled aristocratic brats and nothing more. The Kaibas, he'd quickly learned, were anything but, yet instead of leaving the family be, and move on to the next aristocrat who _deserved_ to be robbed blind, The Scorch Thief kept returning, but never venturing beyond the kitchen. He finally learned why when the petite servant with creamy skin and hair, so long and white he looked like an angel, the very one the noble boy had been helping clean the dishes, spoke to him again. Ryou.

The sweet servant spoke of the kitchen world in a way Bakura never envisioned: a place where blades and fire could be used to create rather than harm or mark. Where the most beautiful things could be crafted from nothing and every new challenge was an adventure in itself. It astounded the thief and he was eager to learn, slowly becoming part of the extended family the house hold and its staff was, only Ryou ever made Bakura venture beyond his sphere of power-but the option was still there at least.

When the curse broke, the invisible bonds chaining him to the hearth vanished along with his ability to conjure flames from his fingertips. It hadn't really hit him until he'd returned to his element. That first night as a human once again, all he could think was that he was finally free. He'd been so happy that he'd carried Ryou through the whole castle until they found the room they used to occupy. Sheets covered the furniture, curtains and veils were caked in dust and most of their things had been packed up to protect them from the eroding air, moisture and daylight and other such destructive elements. But to them it was still home. Bakura blissfully ignored the mess, dumped Ryou on the surprisingly clean bed and the two spent the whole night laughing and enjoying the other's company. No longer bound to the hearth or dependent on his Master's permission, it finally hit him that he was finally free to spend all the time in the world with his husband. The feeling was…invigorating to say the least.

But when he and Ryou had ventured to work the next day, a sudden loss overcome him, like a piece of him had been left behind but he hadn't noticed it until now. The Sorcerer said the Queen's spell had given them forms that reflected their souls. Had that meant that his trade and love of fire had created a soul connection to the hearth? Did he have to exchange that in order to be with Ryou?

Bakura snapped his fingers expecting the hearth to erupt and recede with his will. Instead the stone pot bubbled gently and the flames remained stagnant, eating through the wood and charcoal with low flames. "Totally worth it." A grin spread across Bakura's face.

An impressed whistle diverted Bakura's attention. Yami circled around the table, examining the food, his arms wrapped around a rough sack filled with so many apples a few spilled out and rolled over his arms. "What a spread."

"What did you expect?" Bakura bragged leaning against the counter, "Lots of hungry mouths to feed." His eyes darted to the bushel of apples and narrowed. His smile morphed to a frown. "Those had better not all be for that horse of yours. That crazy beast has been eating all of my good apples!" Bakura growled.

"No, Yami said, catching an apple that rolled over his arm and stuffed it into his mouth. His teeth held it in place so he could readjust the weight into one arm. He sank his teeth into the apple's white flesh and caught it when his teeth pierced through it. "One's for me."

"Correction," Bakura snatched the bag away like a cobra and shoved forward a small basket with roughly a dozen apples inside, "_Those_ your horse can have, but the rest stay. I have pies to make."

The apples scattered across the table when Bakura dropped the bag. Yami snorted but accepted the basket nonetheless.

"More food?" He plopped on a stool and gestured an arm to the spread, taking another bite from his apple.

"Like I said," Bakura gathered the rolling apples into a small pile around a cutting board and grabbed a cutting knife, "Lot more hungry mouths to feed."

Yami chuckled. "I still can't believe Seto agreed to let them all stay," Yami said watching Bakura work. In all honesty, he wasn't too surprised. It made sense that Kaiba would continue his parent's legacy of helping orphans, but he'd never seen Kaiba so passionate about something outside their bedroom. It made him smile, seeing Seto smile so often and connecting so well and so easily with the children: letting them climb up all over him, teaching them to read and write, showing them their options and their potentials. It was wonderful seeing his lover so alive and active.

"I can," Bakura said, spinning and dicing an apple with only the tip of the knife. When the blade came away the apple was skinned bare and the white flesh fell into a giant ringlet. "Kaiba's had a soft spot for kids long before you and your brother showed up. Besides, it's not like he could just turn them away. Where else could they go after that bastard Pegasus skipped town?"

"That's true," Yami said disgruntled at the ex-caretaker's name, "Never thought I'd ever be that proud of Rebecca again." Yami closed his eyes, grinning at the memory.

True to her word, the morning after the curse had broken, Rebecca had formally asked the Dragon King for permission to return to Hawkins Hallow and retrieve the necessary documents and records for him and his staff. Even suggesting that some of his staff accompany her and Miho to ensure she not only returned, but to make sure she didn't flee to spread more lies, so determined she was to amend her mistakes. Seto ultimately agreed to have Téa, since the girls seemed to trust her the most, and Marik, his most cautious servant, accompany them. The return trip lasted half a day but that night the four had returned not only with the records but every child from Miho's old orphanage home.

Seeing the children, frightened, hungry and righteously untrusting, no one dared question their sudden appearance. Seto was quick to order the spare rooms be set up and food prepared immediately. Only Téa, Miho and Rebecca and Yugi, who surprisingly many of the children were close to in age, managed to calm the children enough to trust the adults with their care, though Ryou and Bakura's food in their bellies certainly helped. The children graciously devoured the food with ravenous hands to the shock, horror and sheer heartbreak and outrage of their hosts, but they kept silent until all the children had settled into their new rooms that very night, Seto ordered the entire staff into the dining room, demanding an explanation.

Miho and their accomplices let Rebecca explain the tale alone. The Duchess then explained how upon their return she'd expected rumors from the previous night to spread—what she hadn't expected was for Pegasus to take advantage of the confusion and hysteria and attempt to rally the town after her "inevitable death" the following morning. Her return had been the shock of the town—and Pegasus' chagrin. Drowned with questions: about the castle, this Dragon King who no one had seen, the Mouto brothers, the stranger who'd led the mob; Rebecca absorbed them all in stride, while Pegasus, his plan ruined, fled the scene. Knowing the people would never believe the truth, or would prefer not to, Rebecca had swallowed her pride and fabricated a lie so diplomatic that even the former Prince Kaiba was impressed.

She'd put the issue of a haunted castle to rest first, by explaining that the "monsters" the men had fought were actually the palace staff defending the castle from what they saw as an invasion—not a lie. The "monsters" appearances were costumes and tricks that had been passed down through generations as many of the Kaiba Family staff had descended from traveling gypsies and entertainers who'd traveled and performed across several countries before finally settling in Eastern Europe. Though the magic tricks and illusions were mostly continued for tradition and memory, they were still effective methods of defense. The story had been met with obvious skepticism but no disputes were voiced. Those who had returned home screaming and terrified and ranting about monsters were happy to laughingly blame their mistake on a trick of the light, or embarrassingly kept silent about falling for such a deception. No member of the mob or dutiful wife and child waiting for their husbands, fathers, uncles, sons and nephews wanted to believe that such creatures as the ones they saw or the ones they'd been told about actually existed. Just as they had done all their simple lives the provincial villagers chose to delude the truth into their own accepted reality—if only for the sake of their sanities. Forever sheep obeying their shepherd they accepted the Duchess' word as truth. But questions of the "Dragon King" and his connection to the missing Moutos and Ziegfried's exaggerated story remained.

Neither Téa nor Marik could fabricate an answer, but once again Rebecca had fabricated a truth by sacrificing herself as the fool of the scandal. The image of the Dragon King burned in Yami's magic box was still burned in the villagers' minds and Ziegfried's rumors in their ears. Surely, the dragon the monster hunter had described had been real? Once again the diplomat, Rebecca admitted her own foolery in the act and revealed that Yami's supposed kidnapping by a monstrous dragon was in fact, an enormous misunderstanding worsened by the Stranger's accusations. Upon her arrival at the castle, Rebecca admitted the Dragon King was _not_ a real dragon but a man in armor shaped like the creature of his family crest: a dragon. It was here, Rebecca claimed, she'd learned that Yami had been betrothed to said Dragon King, a modern descendent of the Kaiba family after the royals had been attacked by a rebellion led by the son of their predecessors. Although the royalty had faded over time, the manor and family remained occupied and ran the estate crafting an entrepreneur of businesses right from the manor—and quite successfully, but the estate was very private in its works and dealings as a result of the revolt a hundred years earlier. It was understandable, the people quickly decided.

The Kaiba and Mouto families, Rebecca had explained, had always kept in touch as Yami's father and Master Kaiba's mother descended from similar tribes of prosperous gypsy generations earlier who'd evolved into successful merchants. The betrothal had been arranged when Yami and Master Kaiba were children, she'd said, and their friendship had continued to grow despite the Moutos' constant travels: the two keeping in touch through letters. However, complications arose due to the declining health of the Mouto grandmother and parents. Naturally, the wedding had been put on hold to allow the Moutos to grieve. Of course, questions arose again. If Yami was already engaged, why hadn't the Moutos said such, even once during those years the Duchess had believed _they_ were engaged? It was then, the Duchess swallowed her pride and admitted that she and Yami had never been engaged and she had harbored the false hope that it had been Yami's grief that kept him from returning her love. She had never comprehended or even considered the idea that Yami may have loved another and admitted to her less than ladylike behavior towards the Moutos.

The reason the betrothal was never announced was due to disputes about the affairs between Solomon Mouto and Atem Mouto. Ever the protective older brother, when Atem began hearing rumors that his younger brother's soon-to-be bridegroom was cruel and abusive, a dragon, he'd refused to marry Yami to such a man. Solomon, however, didn't believe such rumors and trusted Yami's feelings whereas Atem believed his brother was too blinded by love to see sense! Following Solomon Mouto's death, Atem was determined to put his foot down on the issue. Yami was just as fervent about maintaining his independence and making his own choices, specifically his choice of spouse. Eventually, Yami had had enough and ultimately decided to leave the house and spend time with his fiancé and his family. Thus when Atem and Yugi had returned home and found him missing, their ranting about a dragon, at least according to Atem at the time, was in truth. When Atem and Yugi had eventually arrived at the Kaiba castle, they'd been pleasantly shocked, as Rebecca admitted to being herself, to find Yami happy and healthy and his intended to be as noble a man as his ancestors.

Atem and Rebecca, she'd continued with disdain in her voice, disgusted with her own foolhardiness, had been the victims of rumors spread by the Stranger whose true identity, Rebecca learned too late, was Ziegfried Von Schroeder, the descendant of the very Prince who had caused the tragedy those years ago. Believing himself to be the true heir to the estate, Ziegfried had spread rumors to ruin Master Kaiba's reputation and enlisted the help of the unwitting Duchess, taking advantage of her feelings in hopes that delaying Kaiba's marriage, and possibly marrying Yami himself—would work in his favor at securing his position. Fortunately, his efforts failed and Master Kaiba had exposed the ruse. Accepting her own fault at having used her position of power for personal reasons and guilt ridden at the hardship she had both unwittingly and purposely caused her oldest friend as a result of her jealousy, the Duchess admitted that she had sought atonement from the King who once again proved himself to be more noble than her, accepted it. A scandal, yes, but one that would have given the men a hearty laugh and the ladies would find romantic had they too, not fallen victim to Ziegfried's heinous lies. The village was quick to forgive the Duchess, but equally willing to prove itself to the owner of the lands their home occupied as well.

When she'd finished explaining even Seto had to laugh and agreed it was for better than the truth, though Atem was less than pleased about being made the defacto villain of sorts in the tale. However, it did not explain the orphans.

The quartet had then gone on to explain. Once Rebecca and Miho had gathered the papers and necessary records, they had requested of their guards to seize Pegasus for his actions, need he try and cause a second stir in her absence. They mutually agreed, but when they'd arrived at the orphanage they'd found it unkempt and hardly suited for raising children. More horrific, Pegasus had taken the money Rebecca had paid and fled, literally abandoning all in his care there: worn and moth-eaten beds in a single room with barely any food, water or medicine. When they'd found the children, the young ones fled in terror, while the elders displayed years of abusive submission or distrust and rage built as a defense. It had nearly broken the Duchess to think she'd nearly condemned one of her oldest friends to such a fate. Within moments the four agreed to relocate the children to the castle: Marik giving the order not a minute later.

When Rebecca had finished, Seto immediately ordered Jou and Zane to see to the children: record their names, get their records (which Rebecca had also brought with her), Duke was to examine their health, Mai and Malik were to prepare their clothing and see to their needs and everyone else was to make them feel as comfortable as possible in their new home, as well as learn about their educations, trades and talents. In no time, the orphans had understood that their new home was permanent for however long they wished and the castle and Master and staff would make sure they were educated and learning a trade.

Yami and Chazz had spent many a day in the library teaching the younger ones to read while Seto and Zane educated the elders. Zane had become quiet passionate about their educations. Syrus said he wasn't half as bad as he'd been when he taught himself and his friends. Even Yugi wasn't immune to the Steward's tutoring. But the important thing was that at Kaiba's castle, the children could have a life and a future. In Yami's mind, Rebecca had certainly redeemed herself.

"Grab a plate will ya?" Bakura's snap propelled him. Yami's eyes opened to the sight of Bakura placing a tray in each hand and forearm and a fifth on his head perfectly balanced; an accompanying frown on his lips and a glint in his eyes. "Either go and feed your horse, or grab that pie and follow me," Bakura commanded.

Yami hopped down and grabbed the basket. "I'll help after I feed Phantom," Yami promised, grabbing the basket and headed back downstairs.

Bakura shoved the kitchen door open with his back and whirled around. He'd entered the dining room just as Ryou finished setting the table.

"Oh, those pies smell good," Ryou cheered gently placing the spare utensils on the extra plates. He took the platter off Bakura's head and set it on the table.

"Of course," Bakura bragged setting everything down in the center. "You people are always so surprised by my talent."

"Not me, and stop bragging, it's unbecoming," Ryou playfully scolded flicking Bakura's nose. "Are there anymore pies inside?"

"Yes, and make sure you wear oven mitts this time," Bakura warned, taking Ryou's still red hands into his own. "I don't want you burning yourself again."

"I was still getting used to being human!" Ryou protested the over-protectiveness.

"Still," Bakura said firmly. Suddenly, Ryou frowned. "What is it?" Bakura asked.

"Well," Ryou pondered squeezing the plates, "It's just, we're human again after over a hundred years, and it just got me thinking, and well, you only kept coming here to see me and…"

"You're wondering if I have any regrets?"

"Not regrets, just, do you ever wonder what might have been?"

Bakura seized the boy's shoulders and met his eyes. "If I could change one thing in my life, you know what I'd change?" Ryou shook his head. "Absolutely nothing," Bakura grinned. Ryou just smiled happily and laughed.

XXXXX

"Phew." Duke wiped his brow and expelled a breath having finally capped his last medicine bottle, a constant reminder of just how tedious apothecary could be. But Kaiba was adamant that the children and now human staff's health was secured and that meant more medicine was requested for future use.

Most of the orphans were _still_ being treated for colds. It made Duke's skin crawl, how unhealthy they had been when they first arrived: that Pegasus goon was by no means a good caretaker. If Duke ever met him, he'd dare the three-fold path to put a hex on that man.

He breathed deeply to calm himself, inhaling the smell of fresh earth, stale stone and putrid liquids. The apothecary's lab was a thick stone, heavy with poorly ventilated air and the stale, earthy stench of fried herbs and pulverized plants. Dried herbs tied in knotted clumps hung from the ceiling thick roots sat in half-filled jars of oddly colored liquids. Others had already been liquefied creating a new concoction. Stone bowls and pedestals ground dried ingredients into powders and fresh ones into wet mush. Glass vials, corked beakers and oddly shaped bottles with handwritten labels tied to their necks stocked the shelves.

An assortment of different herbs, berries, roots, grasses and unseasonal plants freshly harvested from the green house scattered across the center table next to a collection of bottles and powders—as any apothecary, Duke knew medicines were only as good if the ingredients were prepared correctly. Of course, medicines weren't the only tricks his grandmother taught him, the true trick was knowing which plants affected which and more importantly how.

A knock echoed behind him, disrupting his musings. "Come in," he said untying his apron, splattered with the green and brown blood of plants.

"Ah, I was hoping I'd find you here," Mai swooped inside, her dress fanning about her arms and her skirts giving the illusion of bird wings.

"Are you alright, Mai?" Duke asked knowing the staff rarely disturbed him in the lab unless there was a dire need.

"Oh, I'm fine," Mai bragged with an undertone of annoyance directed at an invisible third party. "I think I've just caught one of the kids' colds, but Joey wouldn't give me peace until I agreed to see you."

"Well, let me look anyway," Duke smiled. "What are your symptoms?"

"Well, I wouldn't call them symptoms," Mai said with a hand on her hip and the other over her head behind her hair. "But Joey keeps complaining about my mood changing for no reason. I can't seem to sleep at night and, it's probably nothing but, I've lost taste for some of my favorite foods. I'm probably still just adapting to being human again right?" she explained but her voice did not sound half as confident.

"I have another theory," Duke suggested, "if you'll permit me to ask?"

"So long as it won't give Joey a panic attack, I'm all ears."

"It might," Duke chuckled, "It depends, really." When Mai frowned, he continued. "I mean, we're human once more and have been for almost two weeks and if our Masters are any indication, lovers never stay celibate for long. I trust it's the same, if not more so, for husbands and wives, but if I'm wrong, please correct me."

She didn't correct him. Instead she laughed coyly. "Well, it would be pointless to deny it, nor would I want to. I'm far too proud of my husband not to boast, but I fail to see what that has to—" she cut herself off, her eyes going wide.

Duke just gave her a smile, "I won't know unless I run a test, but it's a possibility."

"Well, then by all means do so!" Mai said, gathering her skirts.

The actual procedure itself was fairly quick, once Duke mixed the right chemicals. Now it was only a matter of waiting, but time was determined to be stubborn: minutes dragged by antagonizingly slow, the silence of waiting fell heavy and tense, and unbearably quiet. Thankfully, Mai and Duke were both patient people, but mocking minutes were pulling at the last of Mai's nerves. The woman growled, angry fingers twirled and tugged at the loose strings of her skirts, her nails clicked loudly against the wood of her chair, fingers drumming agitatedly.

"Careful Mai," the healer mollified. "Malik will have a heart attack if you put a hole in that skirt."

She blinked and looked down at her hands. Frantically, she released the threads and apologized.

"No need," Duke replied. "Any woman would be impatient in your position."

Mai chuckled lowly. "I suppose…" She paused for a moment and turned her gazed heavenwards. "Everything is changing isn't it…It's strange, everything's been stagnant for so long, and now so much has happened already."

"Change is good, I think," Duke smiled, biting his lip. "Yami showed up after a hundred years, and look how happy we are all."

"Alright," Mai uncrossed her legs and spun about in her chair. "What is it?"

"What's what?" Duke asked but the confusion sounded fake.

"Oh don't play coy with me," Maid giggled. "I may not look it but I'm an old woman, let me bestow my wisdom upon you. Now, you've obviously got something on your mind so out with it!"

Deciding against challenging the women's indomitable will, Duke sighed and relented. "I was thinking of leaving the castle. Ryou's more than skilled enough with herbs and medicine and we're close enough to town if the children need any medical attention, so I don't _need_ to stay."

"You're thinking of leaving," Mai said.

"Not forever," Duke nodded, "but I want to travel, build my business, maybe open my own shop, I don't know…"

"Sky's the limit," Mai agreed. "But that's not what's bothering you." It wasn't a question, Duke knew it.

He exhaled a breath and said "I want to ask Téa to come with me."

"Then ask her." Duke shot up at her words. "Oh don't look at me like that," Mai laughed. "One doesn't stay married for a hundred years without knowing what a man in love looks like or when a sensible girl has mutual feelings. So ask her."

"How do you know she'll say yes?" Duke asked biting back nervousness.

"I don't," Mai shrugged her shoulders, smiling. "But you'll never know if you don't follow your heart."

"Do you think she'll say yes?"

"What do you think?" Mai winked.

"I'm going to ask her," Duke decided, his confident eyes fell on Mai's results; taking note of the color he gently pushed the dish forward. "It seems that won't be the only thing changing." Mai's eyes bulged when she looked down. Words failing her she turned to the healer who grinned. "Congratulations, Mai, you're going to be a mother."

XXXXX

"Syrus, if you keep smiling like that, your cheeks will freeze into that shape," Zane warned him with an annoyed sigh.

"Good," Syrus spun around, the tray in his hands perfectly balanced. "Then I can look as happy as I feel for the rest of my life!"

"I still can't believe you agreed to this," Zane mumbled just below his breath.

Syrus 'hmphed' and sat the tray down on the table. Fresh tea poured green and steamy from a decorative porcelain tea pot into cups shaped like birds. Freshly baked cookies filled the air with crisp, sweet ginger. Syrus offered a plate with a tea cup and a cookie as a peace offering.

"Best have one now, you know Jaden will eat them all if you don't," he said with a small laugh.

"And yet _you're_ the one in love with him," Zane retorted. It was meant to come off as a tease, but his voice failed to convey the right tone. Sensing Syrus' approaching chagrin, he added "But I suppose that doesn't matter as long as you're happy. Are you happy, Syrus?" Despite his desire to remain neutral, Zane's authoritative nature slipped in.

Syrus sighed happily and smiled. "Yes Zane, I am happy. So happy." There was no lie in Syrus' voice. Everything about him confirmed the statement: the encouraging brightness in his eyes, the rosy blush in his cheeks, the perky curve of his smile, his giddy shoulders that could not stop shaking : oh yes, Syrus was in every inch the image of a boy happily in requited love.

"Then I guess that's all that matters, isn't it?" Zane concluded with a small chuckle.

Syrus pouted. "You could at least pretend to be upset. I already feel cheated enough."

"Why? Because I knew about your little romance the entire time?"

"No, because our whole lives you've been the over-protective father so much that Jaden and I feared you'd kill him if you ever found out!" Syrus ranted.

"I am not _that_ protective," Zane protested, but even to him the words sounded false and unnatural. "Alright, I see your point, but is it that hard to believe that I'm not angry?"

"_Now_ you're not," Syrus corrected. "Lord knows you made perfectly clear you hated it when Jaden and I were alone together."

"Of course I did."

"And I still feel cheated," Syrus folded his arms and rested his chin upon them. He and Jaden had originally planned to tell Zane the truth about them the morning after the ball. At that point Syrus knew his brother at least _suspected_ something between them—at least something he didn't deem appropriate. But everyone was in a state of bliss. The timing never seemed right, and grew even worse when Yami left unwittingly taking Syrus with him. How he and Jaden even managed to speak to one another while the Sorcerer ransacked the castle was beyond Syrus' comprehension. But after the curse was broken, they'd been so happy they, like the rest of the castle's lovers, had followed their Master's example and proceeded to consummate the feelings that had not faded even after a hundred years. Unfortunately, Chazz had accidentally let it slip that he'd wisely slept in Jesse and Jim's room. That gave Syrus an inkling of just how much his brother knew. After a mild heart attack and a string of panic episode, which he still had no idea how Jaden pacified the two mutually agreed to come clean to the elder Steward. They'd braced themselves for a battle: prepared their stances, sharpened their wits, prepared for whatever gruesome torture Zane's backlash conjured.

But none came. Instead, Jaden fell out of his seat and Syrus nearly had another heart attack from shock when Zane only laughed and admitted he feared they'd never come out to him. It had been a worse shock when the two learned that not only had Zane known about their affair, but had for years and had come to, albeit begrudgingly, accept it. Jaden had been ecstatic with relief, but Syrus had been absolutely furious that his older brother who he adored and respected had kept such a secret from him and, worse, made him worry so!

"All that time we wasted hiding from everyone, restraining ourselves to keep it secret, worried about getting caught, stressed over how'd you'd react and what you'd do calculating every outcome, preparing for the worst…what a damn waste!" Syrus slammed his fist causing the tea cup to shake and the green liquid to splosh over the side.

"Not really, the only reason I'm this polite is because you're a hundred years old. It seems pointless for me to voice any objections at this point," Zane replied causally.

"I don't exactly call glaring at Jaden every time you see him patient," Syrus chided. "Especially since he's done nothing but be nice to you."

On cue, Jaden burst in carrying a large plate piled high with cookies and oddly shaped cakes decorated with purple and red frosting, a wild, cheerful smile on his face. "Bakura made sweets." He set the plate down next to the tray plopped next to Syrus and wrapped an arm around his waist. "I love you!"

Syrus laughed and blushed. Zane rolled his eyes. "Can't you at least wait until I'm gone," Zane said more rudely than he intended, but Jaden was unfazed. Instead, he made a plate, bit off the head of a gingerbread man, and offered the contents of his collection to Zane.

"Cookie?" he muffled through a mouthful of cookies.

"Thank you," Zane said taking a plain sugar cookie, having grown an aversion to sweets. "So do you two still plan on leaving?"

Syrus chocked on his tea overcome by the bold directness of Zane's words rather than the statement itself. He and Jaden had talked about it for years—if they became human again, but never with anyone. Not even with Chazz and Jesse, or Yami. Did his brother really know him that well?

"We're thinking," Jaden said, surprisingly confident and hugged Syrus from behind, "If we do, we won't be gone forever. Or be that far away. And like you said, we've been together a hundred years. We _deserve_ some _alone_ time," he said the last part with a sultry purr and nuzzled Syrus' soft hair while doing so.

"Jaden!" Syrus shrieked, going bright red in the cheeks. He tried to shove him away, but Jaden's grip was too strong. His eyes wandered to Zane but the elder's neutral mask betrayed no emotion.

"What, it's true," Jaden laughed happily. "Why deny it? I want everyone to know how much I love you!"

That made Syrus smile and blush at once. Good Lord, how Jaden could go from being so strict in his behavior around Zane—if only for secrecy sake—to being so bold and open was beyond him. "Perhaps, but a little discretion would be nice when we're not alone," Syrus chided gently, though from his tone, Zane honestly wondered if Syrus remembered he was still there. He could easily make his presence known. A grunt would be enough to make them stop and straighten up, probably with embarrassment. The temptation was certainly there. It almost seemed worth it.

"I am being discrete," Jaden teased, "If I wasn't I'd be kissing you right, now."

A hard shove was his reward for his teasing, the surprise was enough to make Jaden let go and fall off his chair with a "Wah!" of surprise.

"Hey," Jaden whined.

"You deserved it," Syrus smirked. "Now behave yourself," he said sternly.

"Yes dear," Jaden sighed in agreement, the two of them mimicking a married couple. "Speaking of which, lunch'll be ready soon."

"But you just ate," Syrus said, gathering the tea cups and tray.

"So?" Jaden said taking the other. "Coming?" he asked Zane with an acknowledging smile.

"Later," Zane promised. They both nodded and he watched them leave.

He eventually found himself leaning over the balcony above the dining room. Their orphan guests poured inside led by Joey and Miho. Ryou and Bakura's latest masterpiece was displayed proudly across the whole table. The rest of the staff would arrive soon. His master was at the head of the table, half buried under the squealing, shrieking, delighted bodies of the younger patrons. They climbed up Kaiba like monkeys clamoring for their favorite tree. Yugi sat perched on the table, laughing so hard that Zane feared he'd fall off. Chazz spied them all with obvious jealousy: the boy never did like sharing. Jaden and Syrus joined in the fun before eventually helping Chazz pry the small bodies off their exuberant Master. Jesse and Jim, he assumed, were still in the stables but there was no sign of the Duchess or Yami's eldest brother or the young Master himself.

Above all the bustle, Jaden and Syrus' laughter, warm smiles, and whispers of love struck like arrows in the night. Barely controlled fingers squeezed his glass from earlier.

"But early for cognac isn't it?" Zane gazed over his shoulder. The elder Mouto patron leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, eyes set in a smirk that tugged perfectly at his curled smile.

Zane's neutral mouth formed a small line, shaking the glowing amber liquid with a roll of the wrist. "One glass won't kill me."

"I suppose," Atem pushed himself up and strolled over towards the balcony. "I prefer brandy, personally, but cognac's just as good. Calms the nerves," he said pouring himself a glass. "Though I doubt there's enough alcohol in the world to calm my nerves," Atem groaned downing a large sip. His face scrunched with disgust, the dry liquid going down hard.

"I'm not surprised, if you're drinking like that," Zane said refilling his glass.

"At least I'm not spying on my younger brother, unnecessarily," Atem retorted drying his mouth with his sleeve.

"I am not spying," Zane protested, his voice losing its neutral tone. "And what do you mean unnecessarily?" he demanded.

"I mean I'd sooner have Jaden in the family than your Master," Atem made no move to hide the disdain in his voice.

"I see you haven't forgiven Kaiba yet." It wasn't a question.

"No, nor will I ever," Atem said adamantly and spun to press his back against the balcony, one hand gripped the banister, the other firmly clenched his drink.

"And which crime will you not forgive?" Zane asked. "Locking you and Yugi up, or stealing Yami's heart?"

"Both," Atem said, taking another sip, the alcohol loosening his temper. "Then again you should talk; I see the way you glare at Jaden. You should count your blessings your brother fell for such a sweet boy."

"Sweet and mature are two distinctly different characters," Zane defended his case. He raised his glass to sip his drink but thought against it. "But in all fairness, I am glad he has Jaden, Syrus deserves to be happy after all he's been through and Jaden adores him. So even though I don't act it, I am happy for them."

"Hah," Atem gave a low laugh. "You're only so calm because you were able to spend an extra hundred years with him and had just as much time to cope with it. I've barely had seventeen years with Yami," Atem complained.

"Perhaps, but it's hardly fair when half that time I wondered if we'd ever live again or if we'd exist beyond the case. Now that we have, well, I suppose there's no sense in taking it back now is there?" Zane argued and gulped his drink. He instantly regretted it when he coughed up violently the cognac burning his entire throat. He'd grown so used to the dry taste as a dragon it no longer bothered him, but once more human it went down like sawdust.

"I suppose," Atem mumbled, reluctantly sipping his drink.

"I'd still rather have Jaden as an in-law than Kaiba."

Zane chuckled. "He's not that bad, really. I won't deny he has his flaws, but he truly does love your brother. He may not as passionate but he's one of the few men brave enough to admit it."

"I know he does," Atem snorted, squeezing his glass again. "And I know Yami loves him too. I could tell he did before he even told me. I was just hoping I was wrong—I hate it when I'm right!" Atem turned around and flopped over his arms over the side.

"So do I," Zane agreed copying the slouch.

The two men exchanged a glance: their expressions mirroring the other's. A small smile graced their lips, then a snort, then a laugh.

XXXXX

Yami sprinted up the kitchen stairs, Bakura's empty basket swinging back and forth with his pace. His stomach growled angrily, demanding food. The tantalizing smells of Bakura's food and Ryou's desserts taunted him: his stomach becoming angrier. His pace quickened, the kitchen only steps away.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Yami stopped in the shoulders recognizing Téa's voice. Curiosity compelled him to peak. Téa leaned against the table in a slimming spring dress with a lovely blue sash around her waist. In front of her was Duke, brandishing a lovely shade of red he was fighting down.

"Well, I'll get straight to the point. Since we can leave the castle, I want to travel, expand my knowledge, my practice, maybe find a place to open a shop or something…" he coughed into his fist to keep himself from babbling, his blush darkening. "And I-I-I was hoping that—maybe…you would…come with me?" he finally blurted the words and waited for her answer. When the silence became too much he added. "Will you come with—"

She cut him off with a kiss. It stunned him at first, but he returned it earnestly. Yami covered his eyes out of decency and didn't open them again until he heard Duke say "So is that a yes or a no?" coyly.

"Clearly, I wasn't clear enough the first time," Téa responded. Yami backed up and tip-toed to the dining room, not wanting to disturb the happy couple. His mother would writhe in her grace had she caught him spying. Alone in the hallway, he laughed giddily. "Way to go, guys," Yami beamed the entire trip to the dining rom.

"Ah, there you are," he heard Seto's encouraging voice. The man looked up from the head of the table anxiously awaiting Yami's arrival. The chair at Seto's right remained vacant and set. Next to the vacant chair, Yugi paused with a spoonful of cream covered fruit tart in his mouth and smiled brightly. To Seto's left, Chazz was reading a book while eating, but seeing Yami, he snapped it closed. His entire demeanor lit up excited. The orphans ignored his presence in favor of their food. Syrus and Jaden who hadn't been able to keep their hands off one another stopped to greet him. Jesse waved cheerfully.

"Hey Yami," Chazz greeted while Yami took his seat, "How's Phantom?"

"Much better," Yami told his young friend.

Once seated, he quickly filled his plate and grabbed a biscuit and stuffed it into his mouth. "How are your students faring?"

"Depends," Chazz shrugged. "The kids are all eager to learn but I think half of them enjoy the freedom rather than actually learning. That and I think Seto's a better teacher."

"Perhaps," Seto said. "But, they respond better to you. Me, I'm just a giant toy."

"Yugi laughed at that, he gulped when Yami eyed his desert. "Yugi, you better have had _real_ food with that," he said sternly.

"I did," Yugi pouted. "Besides its got fruit in it, that means it's healthy."

"That's true," Seto added.

"Oh stop it," Yami told Seto. "He's spoiled enough."

"Am not!" Yugi protested.

"Keep this up and you will be," Yami teased and smirked when Yugi pouted, stuffing another piece of fruit tart into his mouth. Yami chuckled at the cute scene.

"There you are!" Mai cut the conversation short, when she burst into the room and wrapped her arms around Joey's neck.

"I'm happy to see you too," Joey said returning the hug and offering her a glass of wine.

"Sorry love, none for me," she said shoving it aside. Joey shrugged and took a sip. Mai giggled and whispered something in his ear. Joey's eyes bulged and he spat out his wine. The spray sprinkled over the food and sent the children ducking under the table enjoying the game. Bakura's plate dropped from his hands crashing to the ground, his face contorted into a mask of horror at his now ruined food.

"Are you serious?" Joey looked at Mai with a combination of shock and disbelief. Mai's smile doubled in length and she nodded. Ecstatic, Joey screeched and hugged her, the two of them laughing: the young couple unaware they were now at the center of the room's attention.

"You better have a good reason for ruining my food!" Bakura stomped angrily. His threat so harsh the younger children hid from him.

"We're having a baby?" Joey and Mai said together once they'd calmed their laugher enough to speak.

Bakura's expression dropped. "That's a good reason."

"Congratulations," Seto said first. Before long the whole room was filled with cheers.

"What did we miss?" Téa asked when she and Duke entered the dining room, their hands intertwined.

"I guess she told him," Duke smirked, and whispered into Téa's ear. Her eyes widened, and she turned to him. His expression confirmed it she squealed in delight and rushed over to hug her mentor.

From the staircase Rebecca descended, holding her skirt in one hand and a large folder in the other. Zane and Atem quickly descended behind her. The three of them blinked at the sudden commotion with confusion and curiosity.

"What happened here?" Zane asked.

"The Maître de and the Seamstress are having a baby," Yugi ran over and happily told his oldest brother.

"That's wonderful!" Rebecca congratulated and rushed over to Seto, "Speaking of which." She dug her hand into the thick folder and pulled out two smaller folders. "I got the documents you wanted. They weren't too hard. I mostly just added a few names to the family trees and traced everyone's names to another legal member of the family. I felt it would be more believable if everyone was named after an ancestor."

"Nicely done," Seto said flipping through the files. "These are all they'll need?" he asked.

Rebecca nodded. "You said to start with everyone who was planning on leaving first, so yes, that should be everything. I should have the rest done in a few more days."

"Good," Seto smiled. "Thank you."

Rebecca bowed graciously at his kindness before gathering the files and moving to put the documents away. She looked away to avoid Atem's hard eyes as he walked by, before rushing up stairs.

"Atem!" Yugi scolded, kicking his brother's shin.

"Owe! What?" Atem scolded.

"You're being mean!" Yugi snapped, glaring at him.

Atem grunted loudly and took a seat diagonally across from Yami's. "Just because you've forgotten what she did doesn't mean I have."

"No one's forgotten, Atem," Yami matched Yugi's glare. "I certainly haven't, but she is trying, so you don't have to be so harsh."

Atem growled at that slammed his hands against the table and stood up, "How can you of all people say that!?"

"Because he knows how remorseful she is." Surprisingly it was Seto who answered, causing the eyes of the Moutos to turn to him, his voice magnanimous. Seto sipped his drink, wiped his lip and continued. "She's not the first one to be tricked by Ziegfried, but she's the first person I've met willing to make amends for it. And think about it? She believed every lie he told, took drastic actions based on those lies, and committed terrible crimes because of those lies, only to discover that they were just that: lies. That story she told the villagers wasn't too far off: she painted herself as the fool and villain because that's how she sees herself. She's embarrassed. In her mind, it does matter how many kind acts she does, she can never forgive herself for allowing herself to be so deceived that she hurt everyone around her. _That's _why I allowed her to stay. _She_ actually feels regret and wants to make amends for it. I do as well, how can I fault her when I myself have done things I wish I hadn't but accept that I have and are trying to correct them?"

His words stunned Atem, but he kept his emotions stagnant. His pride had been wounded, but he wouldn't admit to it. Instead, he sat down, grabbed whatever he could, and started eating.

"We should celebrate!" Joey announced, reminding everyone still seated at the table of the announcement.

"Of course!" Seto cheered, and turned to Chazz, "Go get Jim and Jesse and tell them to bring the good stuff, and Miho, you go get the Duchess."

Within minutes the room was alive with children's laughter, the clicking of glasses, congratulations to the happy couple and others, and discussions of dreams and future plans. It all seemed so surreal to Yami.

"What are you thinking," Seto leaned closer to his lover, wrapped an arm around Yami's waist to pull him closer while Atem wasn't looking.

"How strange all this is," Yami admitted. "Not a week ago there was all this mystery and magic and monsters and now suddenly everything is changing, moving on and yet somehow…normal."

"Well, mostly normal," Seto corrected. "From his complaints I doubt Joey's made much progress with the ball room. And I have to admit I certainly took having a tail and wings for granted. It was much easier to hold you close to me when I had them," Seto teasingly whispered in Yami's ear. Yami pushed and tried to shove the man away, but Seto wouldn't have it. "Just be grateful Ziegfried turned to dust, or we'd have to clean all his blood off the walls too,"

"That's disgusting!" Yami shoved Seto away. "And I'm trying to eat."

"Really? To me it looked like you were daydreaming," Seto teased again.

"I can do both, I'm very good at multitasking," Yami said with a smirk.

"Oh yes, I know that _very_ well." The lecherous face sent a shiver down Yami's spine.

Yami started to laugh until…something…washed over him. The feeling was dizzy and disoriented, disturbing his vision and transforming everything into shapes and colors…vaguely he heard his name before his lips started moving independent of his mind. Words he couldn't hear poured out; images flashed through his mind…all familiar…all he'd seen before in his sleep. Seto, his brothers and the dining room faded away. He stood up and clutched his head and shook it violently, hoping to return home.

Instead he found himself standing among a familiar bed of blue and purples roses at the base of a white castle, this castle. The castle he called home, but the dark bricks and shadowed windows were pristine white and shinning with light, evidence of their release from the dark spell.

Music began to play in a familiar tone. The words of his poem once more singing on the wind like jeweled notes, an entire orchestra played a familiar song he heard so many times in both his dreams and the real world.

_Come to me, my Prince of Dreams._

Something called him, but Yami made no move to follow, unsure if this was a premonition or not, if he was asleep or awake.

_To my white castle atop the shinning hill_

_Shadowed by Twilight's spell_

As he listened to the words something was different, the tone was off, the singing different. In all his dreams it had been a man's voice singing, this pitch was higher, sweeter, more airy.

_My Kingdom, shrouded in mists_

_Lost by time, a secret that no longer exists,_

Despite himself, Yami took a step forward, then another. The images started to swirl, move with him, like time itself was moving at a rapid pace while he kept walking steadily.

_Rescue me, my majestic key_

_Escape the chains that bind_

_Your heart and spirit behind_

_The bars of society_

When Yami stopped the world continued to spin, the white castle the roses all moving, taking him down a path he recognized, showing him another familiar image. A dragon stood among the roses now, small, the size of a horse, but something was different about this one. It was not the same white dragon he saw Seto change into. This one was larger and its wings were twice the size of its body and feathery, scattering white feather rain with each flap of its mighty wings. Its scales flashed between a shiny black and a deep dark blue in the flickering light. However, its eyes were so familiar and human-shaped. The same round, lovely striking blue eyes he saw every time he looked at Seto…

_My hope that sings_

The Dragon was singing! Yami realized with such a shocked he jumped back. The dragon was singing, calling him to do what? The curse was broken? Seto and the servants were free, what was fate trying to tell him?

_Come to me my Key of Fire,_

The Dragon smiled at him and raised her wings…Wait? She? Was he so certain the dragon was female. Clutched between its paws an object glowed like a pale blue star. Flashing with deep blue light, the force so strong it knocked Yami off his feet. He landed on his bottom and raised an arm to shield his squinting eyes from the brightness.

Something else happened, the blue object levitated above her hands, no longer dragon paws, but human hands. White wings remained but black wisps accompanied them.

"Wait! Who are you!?" Yami demanded. "What do you-Huh!" He gasped recognizing the object at once. Through the light, he vaguely saw her human lips smile.

_Join me in the Kingdom of Eternal Dream…_

"Yami!" Yami shot up, suddenly finding himself on the floor. His movement so sudden half the group circumnavigating him, fell back in surprise. "Are you alright?" He felt someone shake his arms. He looked up and screamed, almost falling back as the woman's eyes stared at him. "Yami?" Yami shook his head and looked up. "Are you alright?" Seto asked a second time.

Unable to find his voice, Yami nodded. "I'm fine," he forced out. "What was that?"

"Did you have a premonition thingy?" Yugi asked innocently, but the question caused everyone's eyes to shift. "Like that nasty man said we have, 'cause we're gypsies?"

"I don't know," Yami said holding his head. "It wasn't much different from my other ones. I still saw the castle, _this _castle. Except it was white and there were roses everywhere, blue and purple roses."

"You mean the Queen's roses?" Duke said.

"What?" Yami asked."

"They were a gift from the King," Duke explained. "My grandmother told me. They were imported, which was why they were such odd colors from the south. Everyone told her they wouldn't survive the winter but she kept them warm and they soon grew so used to the cold that they'd bloom in early spring. It was her favorite time of year."

"And they're blue and purple?" Yami asked, shaking. Duke nodded.

"This doesn't make any sense," Chazz said standing up. "Ziegfried is dead and the curse is broken why is he still having these things?"

"Not necessarily," Atem pondered. "Ziegfried died but only the curse on the staff was broken. Seto's wasn't until he and Yami were united he said that was because of something your mother did right?" He turned to Seto. "Maybe they were all 'parts' of the same spell? And there's another part that still has to be broken."

"That doesn't make sense," Rebecca chided. "If there's another part then wouldn't there be a hint of it?"

A bell went off in Yami's head. "Maybe there is…" he began. "In my premonitions someone is singing the lines of a poem I wrote over and over again. That poem came to me in one of those dreams. At first I thought it was Seto singing it, but this time it was another dragon singing them, and this dragon was a woman."

"That's something?" Jaden suggested.

"So what were the words?" Jesse asked.

"My poem…I called it the Kingdom of Dreams," Yami explained. "It goes, Come to me, my prince of dreams…to my white castle atop the shinning hill, shadowed by Twilight's spell…"

"My Kingdome shrouded in mists, lost by time a secret that no longer exists," Yami's eyes bulged when Seto cut him off. The exact repetition word for word stunned him to silence.

"That's my poem…" Yami said in disbelief. "How do you know the words to my poem…"

"Because it's a lullaby," Seto explained. "It goes to the song on my mother's music box. She used to sing it to my brothers and I all the time."

Another piece fit into place. The answer smacking Yami in the face with such a force it made him tremble. The music box, the song, the woman...

"Seto," Yami asked with his head bowed, his logic needing one more piece to make the others fit. "Did your mother have blue eyes?"

Seto blinked at the question. "What does that have to—" Seto began but Yami cut him off, his eyes wide and desperate.

"Please, it's important!"

Unable to deny his suddenly frightened lover, Seto answered. "Yes, her eyes were blue like mine."

Yami's next act happened so quickly they barely saw it. One second Yami was still sitting on the floor, the next he was up and running across the dining room and half way up the stairs. An intense focus in his features so strong, God himself couldn't stop him.

"Yami wait!?" He heard Seto behind him and the concerned staff as well, but Yami was faster His body knowing exactly where it was going, what corners to turn, what hallways to take, what stairs to climb to get to its destination the fastest.

It suddenly made perfect sense, the last piece. It was so obvious Yami could kick himself for missing it. For overlooking something at the time deemed unimportant.

When he finally reached his destination he threw the door open. Seto's room looked as it always did, but his eyes ignored it all in favor of the object of its desire. He found it exactly where it had been left. Quickly, Yami rushed over to Seto's night stand.

The open music box sat innocently on its stand. The little dragon not moving but its familiar white wings expanding, its sapphire eyes ready to surrender the last of its secrets.

"Yami," Seto demanded from behind him, "What the hell is going on?!"

"Remember what Ziegfried said?" Yami whirled around the music box still in his hand. "He said that your mother did something? She sent herself and your family somewhere? I know where." At least he thought he was sure. There was still a slim chance he was wrong and this could blow up in his face, but he was sure this was what the woman in his dream was trying to tell him…if he was right about who she was that is.

Seto's eyes bulged out of his skull. In the two weeks it had been since that night, he'd completely forgotten about his family, unsure where to even start, and yet somehow Yami had figured it out in five minutes? Was that what his premonition had been?

"What did you see, Yami?" Seto asked stunned. His heart leapt into his throat when Yami cupped the music box tightly and raised it over his head. "YAMI!" Seto screamed and moved to lung forward but the fierce determination in Yami's eyes stopped him in place.

"Do you trust me, Seto?" Alongside the gravity, Seto could read Yami's hopes and concerns, but also his doubts, and his need to know he wasn't alone.

"Of course I do," Seto said instantaneously.

With that Yami smiled and brought his hands down. A shower of blue and gold glass scattered across the floor, the tiny dragon shattered to pieces, the intricate gold patterns broken like puzzle pieces that couldn't be put back together. Unable to stop himself Seto screamed and dropped to his knees.

Yami watched as the box shattered in a rain of blue, the floor looking like someone had crushed sapphires. He forced himself to wait, unable to look Seto in the eye when he heard a choked, horrified exhale of breath. For one horrifying second…absolutely nothing happened. None of the pieces moved, the dragon's dead eyes showed only a vacant gemstone. Silence more deafening than a scream echoed so loudly it screamed accusations in Yami's ears. True accusations.

"No," Yami's entire body shook, his legs collapsed under him, and he fell to his knees staring at the evidence of what he had done. "Please don't let me be wrong." Not when he'd just destroyed Seto's most precious treasure. The only thing he had left _of_ his family. "Please no…"

Suddenly, a single note filled his ears, then another, until a string of familiar chimes and pitches began filling the room. Looking down, Yami watched as the fallen pieces of the dragon began to move, clicking up and down while shattered blue and gold glass began shimmering with tiny sparks like star dust. Seto and Yami barely had the chance to exchange one glance before a shriek of wind arose from the floor accompanied by a spiral of wind. The force knocked both boys backward and they watched as each broken piece turned into a beam of light spiraling into the air. The lights and air soon took on a singular shape: a dragon expanding its wings.

With a roar the dragon of light burst into five separate parts and dropped to the ground like a steam of paint onto a canvas, the liquid light forming new, limbed shapes until it vanished. The lights began to fade away like mists. The shapes soon took on clear forms. _Human_ forms. Mists of light melted from their bodies and dropped to the ground like rain drops leaving behind a glass shard. Each shard gave one last glow before coming together, reconstructing back into its place in its original shape. Only when each piece was returned and the music box laid unscratched on the floor did the lights finally die away.

In its place laid five humans, three small boys, barely older than Yugi, one with tanned skin hidden under a curtain of black hair. Next to him were two paler boys, one with a face of freckled and maroon hair tied into a neat pony tail, the other had bright mint green neatly combed into a shorter version of Seto's. Closest to Yami was a man an older splitting image of his lover but, as he noticed when his eyes opened, his eyes were a dark misty color between gray and twilight. But most stunning of all was the woman, who had landed closest to Seto.

Seto fell to his knees when she managed to push her tall, willow form to her knees. White skin appeared brighter than snow under the spiky curtain of black hair cascading down her back and shoulders, over her hips. Seto froze unable to look away as she moved. When the woman raised her hair he looked into identical striking ice-blue eyes, perfectly rounded pupils but sharp and upturned at the corners: a perfect mirror of his own.

For a brief second Seto and the woman just stared at the other: their expressions unreadable, their postures a mirror of the other. Hopeful, but so uncertain, neither willing to move in case it was a heartbreaking illusion sitting before them.

Finally, the woman's elegant hand rose to her mouth, tears wetted her pretty eyes, and she muffled a single word. "Seto?" her voice was sweet like a chime of a bell, and Yami recognized it immediately as the voice he heard singing in his dream, premonitions, whatever!

"Mom…"Seto breathed, visible tears pricking his eyes.

"My baby…" The woman lunged forward wrapping her oldest son in her arms and holding him close. The two of them burst into tears and made no effort to hide the whirlwind of emotions suddenly overcoming them. Seto returned the hug with a passion Yami had never seen before. His heart swelled happily watched the man embrace his lost mother.

"I thought I'd never see you again," Queen Ida pulled away from her son to rub her eyes.

Soon the other four lost members of the Kaiba family regained their conscious.

"SETO!" the three young boys shrieked in happiness and flung themselves into their older brother's arms, their large green and gray eyes heavy and red with tears.

"Mokuba! Noah! Leon!" Seto said all their names at once. He hugged the three of them tightly, refusing to let go, even when he loosened his grip the crying boys pushed and shoved themselves tighter against him.

"Seto," the King was the last to awaken, but as he looked at his four sons, then at his wife then back at Seto, even he could not contain his tears. Seto froze for a moment, never having seen his father cry before the sight of his wet gray eyes pierced his heart, until the old man started laughing. "My son!" he beamed with so much pride, that even Yami felt it before embracing his four sons and his wife all at once.

"Thank you," Seto mouthed to him over his father's shoulders.

Yami nodded and smiled, tears of joy streaking his cheeks.

He barely heard the staff start piling into the room. Mai entered first and gasped so loud, she inhaled for an entire minute, before the shock became too much and she nearly fainted in Joey's arms. Seeing what made his normally strong wife woozy, Joey fell to his knees taking her with him, his voice dying in his throat. Servant after servant piled in, each one gasped in shock, horror and sheer joy. The orphans were confused, Atem and Yugi were too, Miho had no answer, but Rebecca could sense something had happened, but was unsure what.

"Who is that?" she asked her voice all-breath.

"That's our King and Queen…and our missing princess," Bakura answered, eyes still glues to the scene.

"How?" Jim asked, breathless.

"They were in the music box," Yami explained not wanting to disrupt the quintet's reunion, "It's lapis lazuli, the ancient Egyptians used it to guide the spirits of the dead to the afterlife. That's what my premonition was trying to tell me. This was the last spell."

No one dared speak. The reunited family on the floor shared laughs, hugs and tears, reunited after almost a hundred years apart.

"So," Atem carefully walked around them and helped Yami to his feet. "I guess that's everything then."

"Not quite," Yami corrected with a smirk. "We still have a wedding, after all."

* * *

And I will let you all ponder on that note heeheehee...

I'm so proud of this chapter and shocked at how long it came out! I think this is the longest one yet. Ironically the only two parts that were originally part of the plan was the return of Seto's family and the opening scene with Seto and Yugi (I love that part: the great Seto Kaiba reduced to a nervous wreck thanks to a little boy :rofl:)

The rest just came to me while I was writing the story, but I'm proud of them all, especially Rebbecca's clever deception to explain the Kaiba family and the Moutos issue without ruining anyone's reputation and still showing her humility. I wanted to give her a pov moment this chapter but there was no time but I know exactly where to put it next chapter so YAY! The main thing with this chapter was to correct any plotholes that may have been left behind (though i always planned on bringing the orphans to the castle, i have a way to big a soft spot and heartbreak for orphans in general to not let them have a happy ending) and to show everyone's transitions back into the human world...in retrospect I wish I have more time but I have something special planned for the ending which is why the spell had to end in spring ^-^

So as always read, review, reply, critique, comment, gloat, ask questions and go nuts.

**IMPORTANT: if you have not signed the petition listed on my page PLEASE do so and spread it to as many people as possible! If you love animals then help the people of New York convince the Governor to upgrade and improve the conditions of the shelter and ban Euthenization due to over-population! There is no such thing as too many signatures! Thank you!**


	35. Epilogue The Next Journey

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! THIS IS MY GIFT TO ALL OF YOU!

Eight days i finished this chapter! WOOHOO! Originally, I planned on getting this done much faster but I spent most of the week stressing out and freaking out and trying to make plans to see my friends in New York but of course my disorganized family, idiot brother who plans things last minute, mom who hates being thrown for a loop and dad who's lost his mind, it was pure hell and nothing got finalized until thursday and then friday night everyone ended up going down. Thank god for my super awesome and understanding BFF who not only let me crash with her but out up with it all. But we had a wonderful weekend, I got to see her, friend who just got back from the Navy on leave, spend the holidays with my dad's family, and spent the night soaking in my aunt's hot tub (and Devin says I don't relax enough ^-^ overall great weekend and i got this done at 3 am last night, a whole hour ahead of my usual record XD

**Disclaimer**: You guys know this by now but for copyright purposes: Takehashi owns the characters, Disney did the movie adaption of the fairy tale, i own everything else.

**Dedications: **As always thank you KadeOkhami, my wonderful beta who got this back to me in one day and on Christmas eve no less! You rock girl! Also special thanks to my good friend Jessica known as Bakurafangurl91 for her wonderful friendship, encouragement and being there when RL made it impossible for eveeyone else! I love you girl!

**Theme song: **There can only be one song to end this story: Breathless by Shayne Ward!

And now the moment you've all be waiting for...The Conclusion to the epic prideshipping Beauty and the beast adaption saga known as The Dragon's Rose ^-^ one of my proudest fics ^-^

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Epilogue: The Next Journey

"You may now kiss your spouse," Mahado ordained, snapping the book closed with one hand.

Syrus didn't even bother to wait; he dropped his bouquet and wrapped his arms around Jaden's neck, surprising him with a passionate kiss. Jaden returned the kiss and the embrace with affection just as deep. They were oblivious to the commotion behind them. When the kiss hadn't ended Zane frowned and tapped his fingers on his arms. Seto and Atem's grip on his arms tightened until the two on the alter ended their kiss and turned to their family beaming with delight. Jaden lifted Syrus into his arms. Syrus burst with laughter as Jaden carried him down the hall to greet the many well-wishers crowding the castle's entrance. Yami, Jesse and Chazz clapped and screamed their cheers; Jim threw up his hat, Ida, Mai, Téa, Serenity, Rebecca, Miho and Duke threw flower petals; and everyone else cheered, some even cried. The orphans burst with excitement and gleefully blew the bubbles they'd been given at the beginning of the ceremony.

Syrus and Jaden both wore the same outfits they'd worn to Kaiba's ball, much to Malik's chagrin, since he wanted to make them both entirely new outfits, but even he was too chocked with tears to care. Neither Syrus nor Jaden wanted a large, fancy wedding and were content with only an intimate ceremony of friends and loved ones in the castle garden. Mahado ordained the wedding at Yami's request, but from the moment he and Mana arrived the two wild librarians had quickly won the hearts of the staff. Mana, who'd always adored children but couldn't have her own, immediately kept herself busy by playing with the children. Even the Kaiba triplets, as Seto's biological brother, cousin and adoptive brother were quickly called, adored the woman. The late winter sun had warmed the air enough to make the outdoor wedding perfect. The finality was all they really cared about.

Yami caught Chazz rubbing his eyes, watching his two best friends walk down the aisle, smiling and laughing. His own smile beamed with so much joy, Yami wrapped an arm around his shoulder. Jesse hadn't stopped smiling either: he was practically giddy with excitement. While hugging Chazz, Yami saw his lover with his parents and brothers among the well-wishers. Ida with tears in her eyes and hugging them both and her husband laughing, having known the two orphans since their arrival. All three of Seto's younger brothers and Yugi were having way too much fun with blowing the bubbles and chasing each other, ignoring Malik screeching to not get the outfits he'd made for them dirty. Marik kept an arm firmly wrapped around his husband's waist and kissed him so deeply that Malik's reality spun each time his clothing obsession spiked.

Everyone followed the new couple inside the main foyers where Bakura and Ryou boasted an enormous multi-tiered wedding cake decorated with blue and red frosting and topped with an edible Kuriboh and dragonroid to replace the bride and groom stands. Surrounding the grand cake was a spectacle of food and drink. Rich wines, glasses filled with champagne and fresh juices for anyone too young to drink. A banquet of roast chicken, beef pies and lock of lamb next to orange, white and yellow wheels of cheddar, rolls of fresh bread, biscuits, steamed vegetables, stuffed oysters, tomatoes and mushrooms stuffed to the brim with cheeses and herbs, salads decorated with cracked pepper and mustards, oils and salt dressings. Silver-glass plates and a pyramid of champagne glasses rested next to an assortment of exotic deserts: single tier cakes decorated with candy flowers and butterfly frosting, a plate of chocolates filled with fruit and creams, and fruits dunked and drizzled in chocolates, éclairs stuffed with strawberry cream, chocolate cheesecakes covered in cherries and cases of candies.

Syrus and Jaden grabbed their respective cake piece and handed it to the other. They bit at the same time. Within minutes the picture perfect cake was marred with knife cuts and served in thick pieces: chocolate and fruit bleeding from the center and over soft white frosting and cake. Within minutes, plates were stuffed with food and deserts, glasses were filled and raised when their former King Alastair toasted the happy couple. Glasses clicked together with crystal chimes and champagne spread around except for Mai, who obviously avoided alcohol. More cheers and laughter and congratulations welcomed them. Rebecca's wedding gift to the new couple was a complete record of their lives just in time for them to go on their honeymoon and start their lives together. She'd given out the rest earlier and had spent the week since the return of the missing Kaiba family making theirs. They'd thanked her graciously for her hard work but she humbly said nothing and smiled.

Yami watched her slip away but said nothing. He could only imagine her awkwardness at attending such an affair after her actions only two weeks earlier. Humility refused to allow her to forgive herself, at least not yet. Off in the corner, he saw Leon, the gentlest and most mature of Seto's brothers, stepping away from his family. Mokuba was busy devouring his food while Yugi finished his third fruit tart. Noah and Seto struck up a conversation and King Alastair was busy distracting Atem from glaring at Seto with a conversation. Yami didn't think it was possible, but he'd never seen anyone smile as much or as calmly as the King. It was clear Seto had inherited his demeanor, and it thrilled him to see the two families getting along. Since Seto's brothers and Yugi were relatively close in age the three had become fast friends, and had managed to drag Atem into several of their adventures touring the many rooms and corridors of the castles. Yami considered it a victory that they had three knew unintentional members in the crusade to improve Atem and Seto's relationship. Even now the two were locked in a glaring competition whenever Noah and Alastair weren't there to distract them.

It made Yami's heart swell with happiness seeing Seto so happy. Over the week he'd seen little of his lover, simply because Seto had spent so much time with his family, not that Yami blamed him. If Grandpa, Grandma, mother and father returned Yami would never let them out of his sight. Still, he missed spending time with his lover: being the center of his attention, but he could share the spotlight if it meant getting to know the former King and Queen who were just as wonderful as the story described.

"They look happy don't they?" a voice asked to Yami's left startling him. He whirled to the side. The former Queen Ida's striking blue eyes, the exact same color as sapphires and shinning just as bright, gazed at him with unwavering intensity. Even with her royal patronage no longer in power, Yami couldn't help but feel inadequate in her presence. With her dramatically long hair held back in a net of sapphires and silver chains and a stunning lavender dress accented with blue and silver and matching jewelry glimmering on every inch of her arms and neck she was in every inch the Royal Queen. Although her hair was that of her younger son, Mokuba, Yami could see many traits of Seto in her face, even more than Alastair whom Seto was a mirror image. The paleness of her lily skin but with a slight olive tint, the sharp, thin slant of her eyes but the pupils were wide and the blue of their color never faded in their shine, the sharpness of her shin and cheeks, and the same cold, strong confidence she exuberated masked, but did not completely conceal, the overflowing generosity and kindness of her heart.

Oh yes, she was the only one he could ever imagine as Seto Kaiba's mother, but the sheer reality of her exonerated all his imaginations.

Realizing he'd been caught staring, Yami blushed and cleared his throat before finally answering, "Yes, they do. I'm happy they finally got married. No one deserves it more than those two."

Ida laughed. "I was talking about my son, but I'm not surprised you're happy for your friends.

Understanding, Yami added, "Yes, he does. I'm glad of that. He missed you all so much."

"He blamed himself for what happened, didn't he" she asked but Yami heard no question in her voice.

"He did," Yami admitted, "Until I convinced him it wasn't his fault."

"I'm grateful to you for that," Ida smiled. "I cannot begin to describe how it broke me to see his face that night I cast my spell. When he watched us all fade away with unknown destination. He never cared for magic. I doubt he ever believed it until that day. He was always so rational my son," she giggled but there was a grim undertone in her voice. "I hated to leave him like that, so uncertain and alone, but I knew it would work out. I just hoped and prayed he'd forgive me when it was over."

"Forgive you?" Yami said shocked, "For what? You did nothing wrong? If anything it was your magic that saved us!"

Ida turned to him with confused eyes. She blinked once than gave a hearty chuckle. "You're wrong, Yami. My magic did nothing but stall the inevitable. A shield to keep Ziegfried out and the staff in for their own safety, a monster form to give them some physical form so they didn't feel like ghosts and trapping my son in a half form to keep his human mind and body from turning completely into a beast. That was all I did. It was not my magic that brought us all here today. It was yours." She smiled.

Yami shook his head. "But you're the one who gave me those visions? The song, the white castle all of it! The only thing I did was follow directions," Yami protested humbly. "I didn't do anything special that anyone else wouldn't have."

He flinched when the woman held up her hand and looked at him with hard eyes, effectively silencing him in a way even Atem never could. "Do not belittle the greatness of all you've done for me and my family, Yami." Her voice was stern, but filled with gratitude. "Those visions were of your own power, just as your gift of fire was. My blood may have called to the blood of your father yes, but it was your own magic that brought you here, your own courage that compelled you to stay instead of flee and your own strength and love that healed my son's soul and broke the curse upon his body. His love for you and your love for him; that was what broke the spell, Ziegfried's and my own. It is not power that governs magic just as it is not power that governs the world: it is emotion.

"Ziegfried was so powerful because he used the worst human emotion of all, hate. But hate can't hurt you: it blocks your ability to care for others, feel no pain or loss, but it eats you mind, body and soul, drains you completely and turns you into something wicked. It is easier to turn hope into despair and love into hate than it is to do the reverse, but it is not better. You see, hate can still be healed by love and despair can still be healed by hope. _That _is your power, Yami; that is what you brought to this castle and what broke the spells."

Yami was too stunned to speak. His cheeks flared up again, this time in embarrassment. He listened to her every word, but could find no evidence to argue them. Everyone had told him he made the castle livelier, but did he really inspire hope? And of course he loved Seto; Ziegfried certainly didn't know what love was. But could such emotions really do so much? After what happened between him and Seto he knew better than to underestimate the power of love, true love at least, but even then, hope and love conquering all? It seemed too fantastical to be true.

As if sensing his skepticism, Ida continued, "It is not as childish as it sounds. There is a lot of darkness and evil in this world, but regardless of how much hatred poisons this world, or how dark and terrible things get, as long as there is a single sliver of light in that darkness, a single shred of hope and a single bit of goodness then it can be healed. That is why love and hope are so strong: they are the only emotions that can never be defeated. And as long as there is a single shiver of light, it will inspire others to do the same. That is what you did, Yami. You inspired everyone here with your courage, your spirit, your hope, and you love my son more anything. _That _love is what gave him the strength and courage to defeat Ziegfried and what broke all these spells. _You _did that, Yami, and for that I am eternally grateful."

Unused to such extensive praise and from a former Queen no less, Yami just blushed deeper and smiled, "I still think you're flattering me," he said humbly.

Ida chuckled. "I can see why son loves you," she said while hugging him. "Thank you, Yami, you make him so happy." Yami had neither the words nor the heart to deny her, so his humility remained silent and allowed him to absorb the truth and enjoy the evening.

"You're welcome," he said with a smile. "I do have one question though. You said I had the premonitions on my own, but how did you know to make sure the spell lasted a hundred years if you didn't see that I would break the spell?"

Ida laughed and patted his cheek, "I was told that my son's true love wouldn't arrive until a hundred years later, so I had to make sure."

"Wait? You were told?" Yami asked confused.

"Yes," Ida nodded with a finger pressed against her sly smile, "_I'm_ not clairvoyant, but a friend of mine was. He was a Magician and told me that my son's true love would not be ready to meet my son for another hundred years. I had no idea what he meant at the time, but I suppose now he knew that something might have happened. I don't blame him for that, of course, I'm sure even he couldn't predict what Ziegfried would do. But I'm grateful to him regardless."

"A Magician?" Yami asked bewildered. "And he was not caught in the curse?"

"Oh heavens no," Ida laughed, "He and his wife were away for the week gathering supplies, they didn't return until morning, but they promised to keep our story alive. He's probably dead now, but your librarian friend reminds me a lot of him. He had that same playful mischievousness about him: you never knew if he was going to tease you or give you an enlightening anecdote." Ida laughed unaware of the thought she's just put in Yami's head. Her attention was diverted when Mokuba and Yugi's debate over the last piece of wedding cake ignited into a tug of war.

"Seems your brother and my son are more like siblings than we both thought," Ida laughed. "I'd best go take care of them." Before leaving, she turned to him with a smile, "You should talk to Seto too, I know you two haven't had a chance to spend much time together with the wedding preparations and our return, so I think you both deserved it." Yami blinked and watched her leave. She snatched the cake piece from Yugi and Mokuba with ease and gave them such a look that both boys apologized immediately and agreed to split it.

Yami would've laughed were his mind not focused elsewhere. His eyes wandered the crowd. Seeing Mahado alone while Mana giggled with the girls, an unsolved question answered his mind. Setting down his empty glass, he strolled over to his old friend who smiled upon seeing his arrival.

"Enjoying the after party?" Mahado asked with a wide grin.

"Very much," Yami nodded. "I'm surprised you and Mana made it so quickly."

"It wasn't too hard," Mahado explained with a wide smile. "Town is close by, and you know I'm always happy to help a friend. And I'd much rather be here seeing those kids read books in that gorgeous library of Lord Alastair's than sitting at that desk in my own in town. Soon as things are settled, we've already talked about bringing the whole collection here. Rebecca says we should leave some behind for the people in town, but I don't like the thought of them rotting because no one is reading them, and change is slow in a small town."

"Speaking of those books," Yami continued. "Where did you get that book you gave me?" Yami asked, masking his assertion.

Mahado gave him a sly grin and his smile curled at the corners, "Which one? If I recall, I gave you plenty of books?"

"_The Dragon King,_" Yami said. "You gave it to me when we first met. I walked into the library and you suggested it for me. Why?"

Mahado shrugged his shoulders, "I thought you'd like it. It was an old book but it was an intriguing story."

"But why _me_?" Yami pestered carefully.

Mahado sipped his wine. "Like I said, I thought you'd like it. I have a sixth sense when it comes to people and what they need," he said with a wink. "And I thought you needed that story."

"So the fact that it turned out to be true, was written by the staff here and that I wouldn't be around to break the curse for a hundred years had nothing to do with it?" Yami confronted with a cat-like smirk.

Mahado burst out laughing. "Well, I know nothing of that," he said honestly, but Yami noticed the hidden glint in his eye. "I won't deny I know a few tricks, but to imply that I'm over a hundred years old, well, that's just insulting, Yami."

"But you did tell me how you're descended from Magicians right?" Yami asked the smirk in his eyes unwavering.

"Hence why I know a few tricks," Mahado said with bright eyes, and snapped his fingers to emphasize his point. "Now enough questions go enjoy they celebration before your brother and your lover's death ray contest turns into a brawl," Mahado shooed the boy away.

"Ignore him," Mana whispered in Yami's ear when she walked by. "He has way too much fun keeping secrets."

"I'll bet," Yami nodded in understanding. "By the way," he whirled around to his oldest friends and hugged Mahado tight. "Thank you." He left before the librarian could answer.

He didn't see Mana turn to her husband with a curled, victorious grin, and her arms crossed proudly over her chest, almost daring him not to answer.

"What?" Mahado feigned innocence, but Mana knew him too well. "I'm not _that_ good."

XXXXX

Rebecca slipped away from the wedding unnoticed. Grateful for the quiet get away, she led herself away from the celebration and in to the hallway. Despite the staff's kindness towards her the last two and a half weeks, it was still too awkward to be included in such a celebration. The time had not been enough to earn the king's forgiveness regardless of her actions. When Seto's family had returned they had welcomed her just as easily as they welcomed the Moutos and the orphans into their care and their kindness was honest and true, it filled her with shame.

It was strange, two weeks ago she was so confident in her status and her future, yet so vain and juvenile her new, mature-self wanted to cry out in rage. She wanted to scream, shake and throttle her former-self, hurt her before someone else did, but it was too late for that. Were her grandfather alive to see who she had become, Rebecca had no doubt the man would weep in his grave.

Even as a child, Rebecca had known her life was destined for greatness, destined, she was, to have all of her dreams come true, even if she had to make them so. Bold and brilliant and confident, even at the tender age of innocence when other children were busy playing pranks and girls played with dolls and reading fairy tales, she was in her grandfather's library reading factual books and commanding the staff in preparation for when she'd become Duchess, a privilege she saw as a child. Her grandfather had been her hero, the one who raised her when her parents spent weeks on end at parties and balls. It was her grandfather who told her stories about true love and about how if you wanted something you had to fight for it, earn it: advice she would take to heart. Yet, when her grandfather died and her grief set in, she would make this lesson her focus of life. Her delight in the Duchess lifestyle had not been her parents' doing. They'd had too little impact in her life for her to consider them any sort of advisement, and she's kept them at arm's length just as she'd kept the Lords and pompous old men who'd sought to use her youth and gender as a means of taking advantage of her position and power. Her parents were just as horrified as those idiotic old men to learn it was not a docile little girl who was now Duchess at thirteen, per Arthur's will, but a strong-willed young woman with a brilliant mind who could argue her away out of any situation.

Though she had enjoyed the luxuries and perks that came with her position, it was the power and control Rebecca had truly wanted, not the socialite nonsense her parents had delighted in. No, Arthur ruled as a modern man who was equal with his people, her parents ruled as a "Royal" patronage who believed themselves above their subjects, but Rebecca? Rebecca Hawkins ruled as she believed a true Duchess should: not a common person or a high-class noble but as a leader: a judge to offer the people wisdom on decisions, a logical shepherd to a flock of sheep torn by the changing opinions of the world, a sense of continuity and logic whose decisions were not based on class or poverty but on common sense, and Rebecca ruled Hawkins Hallow, financially, socially, politically and logically.

But there was still one thing she had wanted for herself: a happy marriage. Even into adulthood she'd still remembered the stories her grandfather had told her about true love, about having a relationship based on trust and understanding. He'd always spoken so fondly of her grandmother that even so young she could see he was a man in love, and it only fired her determination to find a man to love and who would love her, but, as with everything else in her life, she'd chosen her spouse and her ideals of love based on the same logical practicality that she'd used to govern her home successfully. However, it never occurred to her that what made her such a phenomenal Duchess had actually made her a very poor judge of lovers. She'd chosen the Moutos because they were her oldest friends and if she was ever to marry someone for love, she was convinced it would be one of them. Her parents only saw a well-traveled, well respected, and cultured family despite the rumor of one or both parents having gypsy blood in their family trees. She saw her oldest friends who'd adored her as much as she adored them. When she'd approached Yami, her feelings had been genuine, if marred by logic. Yami has seemed the perfect candidate for her Prince Charming. Logically, of course.

After all, Atem was the oldest, nearly four years older than herself, and though his age was not too grand a handicap by most standards, it was his cold sternness that marred him. While the eldest Mouto was in every inch a protective and loving older brother, Rebecca could clearly see that that affection and devotion would only be reserved for his brothers, at least until they were old enough to care for themselves, and Rebecca did not care for the man enough to wait so long. Yugi's youth had been his primary handicap. Though he was technically closest to her in age and being younger than her did not header his good points, the boy was too juvenile, too innocent and too childish for the mature, politically-minded world that the Duchess had created for herself. Yugi was a boy who adored his youth and though she did not envy him for experiencing it longer than she did, it was clear Yugi was too free-spirited to be compatible with her. That had left Yami, who had possessed all the qualities she'd longed for. Only two years older than her, he'd contained all the fierce devotion and protectiveness of Atem, but the sweet kindness and tender creativity of the younger Yugi, but with his own qualities as well. Yami was mature and kind, but confident and bold, his reserve to others only proved he did not care for their opinions and his pride had earned her admiration. He was her perfect prince. And she hadn't lied when she'd proposed to him, logically, there was no reason for him to reject her.

And yet he had. And it baffled her as to why. She'd told Miho it was because she could have anyone else. It was true, but it was not the only reason. In truth, it was because Yami had been the only one Rebecca could ever imagine herself with. Everyone else had seemed minuscule by comparison, at least in Hawkins Hallow. She'd convinced herself it was grief over his lost family members, or concern for his family, or even simply that he was young and unlike her, not mature enough for marriage, and a whole list of other practical explanations. Never once had Rebecca believed, or even comprehended the idea, that Yami simply did not want to marry her, that he didn't love her. She _couldn't_ believe it. Not when he'd been the only one she'd ever wanted. Not when she'd always been able to _do_ what she wanted, get what she wanted through sheer hard work and determination.

And yet none of that won her Yami. Now she knew why. The girl she used to be had been determined but spoiled, so used to having what she wanted and doing whatever it took to get it, she expected love to be no different. But what she'd felt wasn't love. Logic and practicality convinced her that she and Yami would be lovers but there was no actual passion or feeling guiding that decision. Her declaration had been only because it was expected. Her determination had only been because she'd never been denied anything. Yami's refusals only fired her blood because she was used to getting her way. Yami's constant rejections of her had been foreign and annoying, eventually angering. So much in fact that when she'd proposed to him, she'd done so out of pure impatience, earnestly believing Yami was just naïve. She was blind to seeing she was hurting him just as he was hurting her: the constant bombardment of her unwanted feelings had only made things worse between them possibly ruining their friendship and making her do things the righteous person she prided herself on being would _never_ have done.

After all, she'd only joined the Sorcerer because his plans coincided with hers. His lies and tales of a cursed dragon spelling the Moutos and kidnapping her lover had simply given her a "logical" reason for the glitch in her plans: it had been the only reason she believed such outlandish tales. How naïve she had been that night. Painting herself the courageous heroine braving the terrible dragon to save her intended from the monster's spell the same way the Sorcerer envisioned himself the tragic hero of his own tale? How naïve she was to paint her life like a ballad, claiming she intended to save her oldest friends when in reality it was only jealousy and anger that compelled her to find the Dragon King herself. When she'd confronted him, he was in every inch the creature, physically, the Sorcerer had described, but when she'd confronted him about Yami, his answers were not that of a cold, brutal beast, but of a man deeply, passionately, truly in love with Yami. That had been the true cause of her fury. Here was someone from a world completely opposite hers, and yet volumes better than her. Here was a man who loved Yami in a way she never could, and Yami returned those feelings.

That single moment, seeing them together, seeing them in love in a way _he_ was _supposed_ to be with _her, _that had been her breaking point. In that single moment, all logic, all reason, all thought vanished from her mind and for a brief second rage had consumed her and propelled her to attack them both. Only when she saw Yami falling over the ridge had sanity returned. Watching him fall, even when Seto caught him…all she could see was glass shattering, bones breaking, and blood splattered everywhere: Yami's blood. Her loss of control had almost killed her best friend who she'd loved. _That_ she could never allow herself to forgive. Even if he forgave her, even if the Dragon King forgave her, even if his family forgave her, even if her best friend who'd she'd abandoned but never gave up on her forgave her, how could she ever forgive herself?

"Did you not enjoy the party, your Grace?" Rebecca jumped in surprised and spun around.

"I apologize," the source of the voice, who she recognized one of Kaiba's younger brothers, bowed a dark head of maroon hair, neatly tied back with a navy band, in apology. "I didn't mean to startle you," he said with a smile set in his handsome freckled face. His big eyes were round and hazel but the paleness of his skin made them glow with a green tint. Dressed in a lovely white and maroon coat he looked in every inch a fairy tale prince.

"Please don't call me your Grace," Rebecca said humbly, her eyes downcast, "You're still a prince, your rank exceeds mine."

"We're royal no longer," he said. "So please just call me Leon, Lady Rebecca," he said politely. "But you didn't answer my question? Are you not enjoying the party?"

Rebecca didn't answer right away. She still couldn't look at him, doubting any of the Kaiba family knew her true involvement in the Dragon King's tale. "I shouldn't be here; I'd only spoil such a lovely evening."

Leon blinked at the words. "And why would that be? You've done so much for everyone, the children, my family, our staff, Seto speaks very fondly of you."

Those words were like a whiplash to Rebecca's side. Her head shot up with horror and she shook her head in fierce denial. "Penance," she said with disgust. "That's all. They shouldn't forgive me so easily. They shouldn't have at all." Her voice rose without her realizing it, her hand rose to her mouth, suddenly feeling wetness pool at the tips of her fingers and hand.

Surprisingly, Leon didn't seem surprised by her outburst. His eyes were patient, waiting for her to finish before speaking. "But you've already accepted the fault of your actions and learned from them, whatever crimes you committed against this castle have been forgiven, and my brother's actions no doubt influenced you, you need not blame yourself for that."

"If you knew what I'd done to your brother you would not be half this polite to me!" Rebecca snapped.

Leon's eyes narrowed, his lips formed a line, "I wasn't talking about Seto."

Rebecca blinked a those words. Surely he didn't mean Mokuba or Noah? They'd been captive as well. Who else but Seto's influence could he—? Rebecca froze, the dots connecting in her mind. She hadn't noticed it at first, if at all, but the thought now in her head she recognized the familiar green in Leon's eyes, a green brown instead of a green gray, and his hair was darker and fuller and more curled than Ziegfried's impossibly straight, pink lines, Leon's face was less sharp, his form smaller and less developed, but in him was all the evidence of a younger Ziegfried.

Seeing she had solved his riddle, Leon answered, "Seto is my adoptive brother, and though I love him and he's been more of a family to me than my own, I am the legal brother of Siegfried Van Shrouder, the man you have come to know as the Sorcerer."

Rebecca's mouth fell open in shock, unable to believe that this kind, soft-spoken and polite young man who had every right to hate her more than the Mouto siblings, was in fact related to the man, who had seduced her with words and convinced her and the entire town that her own selfish desires were acts of justice when in fact she had simply been a pawn in his own twisted scheme, by blood.

"How?" the word left her mouth before she could stop it. Her hands flew to over it but they had already escaped, her eyes bulged in apologetic horror.

"Please do not think the topic offends me, I have long accepted the sin of my birth and have come to terms with it," Leon assured her, and gently pulled her hands free from her lips. "My parents as you know were not the best King and Queen and I assure you they were worst parents. My brother was their heir, so me, I wasn't…_needed_ I guess would be the best word. The only good thing they ever did for me was not pay attention to me. I hated it when I was younger but it spared me their teachings and their greed. I found more love in the servants and lesser nobles like the Kaiba's than I did my own family. Their court terrified me; it was all cutthroats and thieves of the worst kind hidden behind the glory of high status, class and wealth. The only exception was my brother. My parents always punished me for distracting Ziegfried from his studies. He was their heir after all; their only focus was preparing him for ruling the Kingdom. Ziegfried…I know better than anyone the kind of man he was, but he was still my brother and he was always kind to me, but at the same time I'd seen him scold and punish his servants in the most brutal of fashions for the most minimal of offences. I loved my brother, but I chose the rebellion because I couldn't bear the cruelty of my family. When they abandoned me the Kaiba's adopted me. I was almost relieved when they both…died."

"He was your brother, your family, of course you loved him. To me he was a complete stranger, who promised me everything and I accepted without thinking."

"Please relieve your guilt, lady, my brother always fancied himself the tragic hero of his own tale, and he played that role so well, even he himself believed he was so. It explained his determination and how he could've ever come so close to achieving his vengeance. I assure you, lady, you were not the first that that persona had fooled."

The regret in his eyes and the disgust in his voice made Rebecca's eyes widened. Immediately, she knew _exactly _who else the Sorcerer had fooled.

"_I _was the one who convinced my foster parents to spare my brother, that he was just a victim of my parent's teachings like me and desperate for their approval. I thought banishing him, leaving him with nothing like the very people he exploited, would humble him. I never thought he—" the boy broke off his voice becoming shaky and his sea foam eyes were wet with tears.

"He was your brother," Rebecca protested. "Of course you wanted to save him. How could you possibly know he would turn into a monster? He made that choice on his own, it wasn't your fault."

"I know that now," Leon wiped his eyes. "But believe me, my lady; it was a long time before I even _allowed_ my family to forgive me, let alone forgive myself, but how could I allow myself to accept their forgiveness and their love if I was unable to give them the same in return? How could I let my own guilt and self-pity cloud my judgment and keep me from moving on with those who loved me?"

He looked at her with sweet eyes but bitter with past regrets. For a moment he seemed eras older and wiser than her. As though he were not a young, childish prince, but a King who'd lived long and fought in many battled and from each one bore the scars and lessons in his soul and mind.

"I will not ask you to forget your sins, Lady, for that would be arrogance, but do you think in time, you could learn to forgive yourself?"

Rebecca wanted to say no, but his words filled her soul, lifting a weight from her she hadn't known had been weighing her down, like chains had been unshackled from her very soul. She smiled at him, and wiped away a tear she didn't know she'd shed. "I can try. For now, that's all I can promise."

Leon smiled like a child with candy. "That's fine, now then," he bowed like a gentlemen and offered his arm, "Shall we return to the party?"

XXXXX

Seto hadn't realized Yami was gone until he was no longer in his sight. He'd seen him speaking to his friend the Librarian and his wife, but then he'd vanished. Seto grunted and pushed out his chair, determined to solve the mystery of Yami's absence.

He marched towards Mahado, who sensed his presence and his concern the moment they locked eyes. The librarian smirked and gestured a thumb over his shoulder. The hallway he pointed to led to a balcony nearby. Seto's heart quickened. That particular balcony might spoil his surprise if he didn't hurry.

He hurried down the hall, leaving before anyone could question him. The pose he found Yami in was a portrait: there his beloved stood on the balcony, his back to Seto, staring at the spring moon, dressed in the same golden outfit he'd worn the night of his ball, draped in the black coat he'd given him his first night, standing tall and proud, the moonlight illuminating the colors of his hair, skin and from the way the sunlight never could. Seto almost wished to remain silent, in fear of disturbing the breathtaking image Yami created.

"Yami," his voice was barely above a whisper, but somehow Yami heard it and looked over his shoulder. Seeing Seto he spun around with a beaming smile. "There you are," Seto crossed his arms and smirked. "Not enjoying the party?"

"Just the opposite," Yami chuckled. "I think I enjoyed it too much, I can't seem to stop thinking about the future now."

Seto's mouth formed a line. "I suppose so. I never even considered a future beyond my death."

"Not even with me?" Yami mocked insulted.

"Of course!" Seto said immediately. "I mean, I didn't used to since I didn't think there'd be one because of my curse, but even when I was cursed you changed that. You changed a lot of things."

"And what do you imagine, when you think of that future now?" Yami asked, earnestly curious.

"Honestly, I don't care. All I imagine is spending the rest of my life with you in my arms, my bed, my home, wherever you are, that's where I want to be. The food's already been prepared; all the guests are in the next room. If you asked I'm sure your preacher friend wouldn't mind performing another ceremony," he spoke with adamancy. His voice, his eyes, his face, his straight shoulders and stance: everything about him was serious. Though touched by the sentiment and the raw emotion behind it, Yami gave a beaming smile than forced himself to stifle a laugh.

"Oh Seto," Yami forced himself to say. "I'm touched, I really am. I never in my life thought someone would ever say that to me."

"But…" Seto dragged out the world, knowing Yami's reaction was not a rejection.

"I'm _barely _18, Seto. As much as I love you, I'm _way _too young to get married," he said honestly, neither denying his feelings or the future Seto described, only the timing of the when and where. The same spirited, spontaneous Yami that Seto loved so much.

"You do realize if you subtract the hundred year age difference, Jaden and Syrus are at the most a year or two older than your younger brother?" Seto said teasingly.

"Yes, but as you know, they had a hundred year to mature and grow closer. We've only been together for six months," Yami chuckled.

"True, but unfortunately, I'm old enough to be your great grandfather. I _am _122," Seto leaned closer and dragged out the word and until his nose touched Yami's.

"I'm not saying I don't want to," Yami said, gently shoving Seto's face away. "Because believe me I do, I never thought I'd ever want to, but I do, I just want to wait; I want to see the world first _before _I settle down and get married."

"I can understand that," Seto nodded. "I have always wondered what it would be like to leave this castle. Now that I can…it's so…strange, it almost feels too impossible to be true; like a dream you want to continue dreaming if only for the sake of having something to dream about…"

"Well, when one dream ends you find a new one. When I first came here, I didn't think I'd get a chance to live any of my dreams. But the more I grew to love this castle, and love you, that became my new dream. Now, I have all those old dreams back, and I can't imagine living a single one unless I have a certain arrogant, know-it-all prince, trying to dictate everything, came with me," Yami joked leaning back against the banister.

"I am not _that_ arrogant," Seto protested.

Yami raised an eyebrow with a sly smirk, "Says you."

"Really?" Seto's cheeks curled into a wicked smile, a mischievous gleam. He leaned forward and flattened his palms on either side of Yami, trapping him between them. "I think I'm more possessive than arrogant."

"Can't deny that," Yami shrugged his shoulders.

"You know, just because I'm no longer a dragon, doesn't mean I can't still throw you over my shoulder, take you someplace no one would ever find you and have my wicked little way with you whenever I please," Seto said curling his smile into a smirk that promised all he spoke.

Though it sent a shiver of excitement and delight through his being, Yami bristled at the words, his eyes narrowing his mouth forming a line. "You _know_ how much I hate that," Yami warned.

"Yes," Seto pulled back, unfazed, if anything his grin only widened. Before Yami could act, Seto lunged forward and scooped the smaller boy into arms with a single swoop, and held Yami so their eyes were locked. "But it makes you bristle like an angry kitten, thus I simply _must _do it."

He whirled around and carried Yami back through the hallway despite Yami's protests, flailing limbs and demands to be put down. However, Seto surprised him when instead of turning back towards the party; he turned down the opposite route. At first Yami thought he was bringing him towards the kitchen but again Seto turned the corner to another exit Yami hadn't seen before. The doors were arch shaped and designed like an iron garden gate had been embedded into the wood. A rusted padlock that looked like it would fall off at any minute sagged on chains rusted red in the center. Without his tail to open the door for him, and unwilling to relinquish his prize, Seto kicked the padlock with the heel of his boot. It crashed to the ground with a crinkling thud. The doors slid open from the impact. Seto toed it the rest of the way open and carried Yami through.

A rush of cold air and bright light hit Yami like a blow, alerting him they were outside. He pulled his coat closer to his skin, the dying winter air still carried a chill but it was softened by the warm early spring sun. When Seto sat Yami down he gazed confused at the surrounding area. His eyes widened, his mouth opened in surprise, he took a shallow step forward unsure what he was seeing. The secret of the door was a garden where, circled of stones, filled with dark soil and overgrown with hearty shrub speckled field of thickening thorns. Wet boulders carved into benches and seats, in the shadows of huge wood bushed and shrubs, glistening with melted snow on their branches. And on each one a spray of roses frosted with melted snow glittered like rhinestones.

Pale lavender and white bushels crashed against huge scarlet and crimson sun-shaped flowers darkening to heavy maroons and violets. Spraying roses grew into thick, woody bushed or dotted the vines that were growing over crosses of woods and the overhead gazebo. But most of all were the brilliant blue roses at the heart of the garden. Yami fell to his knees at the sight of them: the exact same roses that were in each of his dreams. But unlike the traditional lavender roses or reds that darkened to purple and had bluish tones, these roses were a silvery white that shimmered with silver blue tones in the light. The same color as Seto's dragon scales, the same color as the dragon portrait that hung in the ballroom.

"This is beautiful," Yami breathed, plucking a rose and stood to question Seto, "What is all this?"

"Mom's garden," Seto explained. "When they were young, my father brought them for mother as a gift, even though everyone told her they'd never survive the Hungarian Winter, she planted them anyway and spent all winter keeping them alive. Every night she'd light those circles with fires to warm the soil and in the morning she'd mix the ashes into the ground, she'd put blankets around the roots and every year they came back. Soon every noble lady in the country began begging their husbands for roses but none of them lasted the winter. Rumor spread that she used her magic to make them survive the winter, gardeners said the plants sense her love and it made them stronger, others just said they eventually adapted. Either way they kept growing and eventually those blue roses became the symbol of our dragon."

"I can't believe you never showed me these before," Yami said, smelling the bright blue ones. "I've seen them in my premonitions, but even they were never this lovely."

"I actually didn't know if they were still here without my mother's care. But it looks like the rumors were true. Once winter ends they start to bloom again," Seto said hugging the smaller boy from behind.

"Thank you, Seto," Yami said happily, holding the blue rose close to his heart and leaned back against Seto's warmth. "Will you come with me?" he asked without meeting Seto's eyes.

"Pardon?" Seto asked confused loosening his grip.

Yami looked over his shoulder with a true smile and nothing but hope and dreams for a happy future. "If I wanted to leave this castle, travel the world and write my stories and go wherever my heart wanted, would you come with me?"

Seto gave a smile that morphed into a snort then a laugh. "Do you even have to ask me, of course I would!" Seto said pulling Yami into his arms.

"Really?" Yami laughed coyly. "You would leave your precious castle? Your loyal staff? Your title as prince?"

"I've been prince long enough," Seto explained. "And the staff is already moving on with their lives. I can stand to be away from the castle for a while," Seto said without any doubt or hesitation in his voice, only truth.

"And your family? You just got them back, now you're leaving them again?" Yami asked, with slight hesitation.

Seto didn't answer right away, but his answer was just as earnest as the first. "I will miss them yes, just as you will no doubt miss your brothers, but no one ever said we will be gone forever. My parents will no doubt raise the orphans well, they may no longer be a King and Queen but they've already decided to turn the castle into a home for orphan children. My brothers no longer need me to protect them, and they've become fast friends with yours, and my father is very grateful to you for saving me, and my mother adores you. I doubt they would protest."

"And what do you expect to happen when we're done traveling? When we've seen all there is to see, done all we want to do, and could find nothing else to do with our lives? We can't have children, we can't live here forever. What do you expect to do then?" Yami asked, with no effort to hide his seriousness.

"Well," Kaiba said, holding Yami tighter. "I expect us to take the future as it comes. If we want to return we can, if we want to settle down someplace else nothing is stopping us, if we want children, there are plenty of orphans here and everywhere where we can adopt."

"And what do you expect to happen, Seto?" Yami asked again, "To live happily ever after?"

"Yes to all the above," Seto said spinning Yami around and kissed his lips. "Except at some point I plan on asking you to marry me, and you better say yes."

"Of course I will," Yami laughed and leaned up to return Seto's kiss.

XXXXX

"Seto, where are you taking me?" Yami asked grateful that Seto was actually letting him follow him instead of carrying him, but Seto's speed was making the pace difficult to keep up with.

"You'll see…" Seto said, squeezing Yami's hand comfortingly.

"Whatever it is, I hope it's quick, we've been away from the party long enough, it's Syrus and Jaden's wedding day, we should celebrate it."

Seto chuckled. "Oh I'm sure they can't wait for it all to be over. They wanted the commitment, now they have it, now I bet all they want is to enjoy their lives together. Hopefully, Zane is not as bad as Atem."

"Well, since he hasn't carried out your murder as of recently, I think he's finally tolerated you," Yami laughed.

"Perhaps," Seto pondered. "I doubt he's given up on his attempts to murder me."

"He just might when he finds out we'll be leaving soon," Yami said warningly. "How on earth are we going to explain that?"

"We don't have to leave right away," Seto reminded him. "We can take our time, plan it out, gather our finances, and of course they'll all get a proper goodbye…unless we eloped, of course?" Seto suggested teasingly.

"Absolutely not," Yami said immediately but laugher chocked his concern. "Then Atem really would kill you."

"I'd like to see him try," Seto boasted, proudly. "Ah, we're here," Seto said stopping outside a familiar set of doors.

"The ballroom?" Yami asked, surprised. "I thought they were still cleaning it?"

"We were," Seto explained, whirling around, one hand on the door handle, the other rubbing the back of Yami's hand with his thumb. "But the children were more than happy to help, and mother said she had a surprise for the occasion," Seto said with a wink, silently turning the door knob.

"What surprise could she possibly have for the wedding?" Yami asked following Seto inside.

"Not that occasion," Seto smirked opening the door.

"SURPRISE!" everyone screamed: the lights turned on illuminating the staff, the Kaiabs, Atem and Yugi and the orphans. All of them cheering, blowing noise makers and throwing gold and red confetti into the air. The ballroom shimmered to life with red and gold lights, streamers and beads hung from the chandeliers. New glass temporarily replaced the stain glass in the windows. The floor had been fixed and smoothed with pearly white stone. In the back, Bakura held a huge cake with his name on it in red icing surrounded by edible roses. Even the newlywed Jaden and Syrus were laughing and cheering. "Happy Birthday, Yami!" Syrus and Jaden hugged the shocked teen.

"Wh-What is all this?" he gasped and turned to Seto for an explanation.

Seto only smirked. "What does it look like? How many days has it been since the curse was broken? Little over two weeks so today's the—" he dragged out the sentence giving Yami time to count the days. He hadn't done it before but now that he had, remembering the month the day everything that happened, regardless Yami couldn't believe the date had slipped him by. "18. Today's March 18th. I'm 18." Yami could've laughed but he was too shocked, shocked by the time, the party all of it. "How did you do all this?"

"We told him!" Yugi hugged Yami's waist with a huge smile.

"And I did the decorating!" Syrus bragged.

"I did the planning," Chazz added.

"And we cleaned the place," Joey said gesturing to the orphans.

"And I made the cake," Bakura bragged.

"And it was my idea," Seto said finally.

"But…your wedding," Yami looked at Jaden and Syrus.

Both of them laughed. "Oh we just wanted to get married," Jaden explained.

"Neither of us really cared for the ceremony or any of that, we'd have eloped if Zane hadn't threatened to follow us," Syrus explained. "The only thing left to do is throw the bouquet..." Syrus said throwing the flowers into the air above him. The girls rushed forward ready to catch it, but it dropped in Yami's direction. His heart leapt into his chest, the roses barely brushed his nose then dropped on Yugi's head.

"Owe!" Yugi said letting go of Yami, the flowers landing in his hands. "I caught it!" he held them up proudly.

"We have a winner!" Bakura cheered raising the cake. Yami burst out laughing. Atem's jaw dropped in shock.

"Looks like you were fixated on the wrong sibling," Seto teased in the man's ear. Atem spun around and growled at him, before turning his attention back to Yugi. He made a grab for the bouquet, but Yugi innocently dodged his hands and rushed over to show it to Serenity and Téa and his new friends among the Kaiba siblings and the orphans.

"Damnit," Atem cursed.

"Oh leave him be," Yami scolded his older brother. "I still can't believe I forgot my own birthday."

"It's been a busy week," Alastair walked over. "I'm just glad we got to surprise you before my son kidnapped you again," the man chuckled, and Yami couldn't help but smile. "This was the least we could do to thank you for all you've done."

"You flatter me, my lord," Yami tried not blush.

"'Tis not flattery, it's the simple truth," the former king said wisely. "I was skeptical when my wife told me my son's true love would save us, then again I was always skeptical of magic and such things, ironic considering my wife, but I was. Yet I see the way he looks at you and I see the way you look at him, and there is no denying what's there, so whatever you consider it, than you Yami. And happy birthday."

"Thank you," Yami bowed his head. "And you're welcome."

Seto could only smile as he watched his lover and his father speak. Normally, he'd be nervous of his father's critical eye and scrutinizing attention to flaws, but when the man looked at Yami he found none. It was an enormous relief that their two families got along so well. Even now Yugi was busy showing Noah and Mokuba his bouquet and teasing Atem, while Leon chatted with the duchess and her attendant.

He would miss it all when they left.

"You're going to take him away aren't you?" Seto jumped and whirled around coming face to face with the young Yugi Mouto who'd become an expert at unintentionally giving him heart attacks recently.

"I beg your pardon, little one?" he asked, bowing down to meet Yugi's eyes.

Yugi's eyes turned sharp suddenly making him seem much older than he was. "You're going someplace and he's going with you, right?"

Well, yes and no," Seto said honestly. "We do want to travel a bit, but we're going to go together, and when we're finished traveling we'll come back and visit, you see?" He chose his words carefully unsure how to best handle the situation.

"I know," Yugi said with a smile. "Aniki's always wanted to travel; he just said we'd go with him, but…" Yugi said frowning.

"But you like it here and you don't want to leave yet?" Seto guessed. Yugi nodded, guiltily. "There's nothing to feel guilty about, little one," Seto mollified the boy's fears. "Yami would never want you to sacrifice your own happiness for him. If you are happy here and he is happy elsewhere he will still be your brother, even if you don't get to see him all the time. Yes, it is difficult and you will miss him, lord knows I still miss mine, but we will always come back, okay?" he brushed a lock of Yugi's hair and grinned when Yugi beamed with happiness.

"Yes, that is true. And this way, Mokie, Noah and I can plan for your return," Yugi added.

"That too," Seto nodded.

"What too?" Yami strolled into the conversation.

Before Seto could answer Yugi innocently explained "How when you and Mr Seto come back from wherever it is you're going, me, Mokie and Noah can plan for it!" he said smiling.

Yami looked at Seto with a mixture of shock and anger. "And who said we were leaving at all?" he said with an angry twitch in his brow.

"Oh don't deny it, we all knew you would," Atem's confidence caused them all to whirl around. Mokuba and Noah, much to Seto's surprise, stood on either side of him.

"You two as well?" Seto blinked in confusion.

"Well, we kind of figured," Noah nodded. "You've been here for a hundred years so we thought you'd like to see the rest of the world rather than be stuck here."

"But we'll still miss you, Seto," Mokuba said trying to hide his wet eyes.

"I know you will," Seto said, "But no one's leaving yet." His words soothed them but just in case he rubbed Mokuba's head and wrapped an arm around Noah's shoulders. "Trust me, you two aren't losing me ever again."

"Good!" they said in union, and hugged him tight.

"Yes!" Yami added right away. "For now, let's enjoy my birthday and Jaden and Syrus's wedding," Yami insisted, but Atem pulled him to the side.

"I am serious, Yami," Atem said sternly.

"About what?" Yami asked.

"You. Traveling. You talked about it for so long…"

"I know," Yami said looking away. "I know we always planned on the three of us leaving, but the more I think about it, I was the only one who _really_ wanted to leave Hawkins Hallow, wasn't I?"

Atem said nothing but the guilt in his eyes confirmed it. "Does it matter?" Atem shrugged his shoulders. "Yugi and I only wanted to see you happy, and Yugi will be happy anywhere, I can paint anywhere…"

"But you're both happy here," Yami said. "Yugi loves living at the castle, he finally has kids his own age to play with, and I'm sure you love having someone as talented as Lady Ida to paint with…"

"That's true," Atem cut him off with a chuckle. "We're both happy, yes, but you'd be miserable staying in one place for too long. You're a free spirit, you need to spread his wings, but you're the kind of person who wants to share that experience it with someone…and that person is Kaiba." Yami's head shot up. "Don't look at me like that," Atem bristled immediately, "I'm still accepting this, but point being, I want you to be happy, so whenever you and Kaiba decide to start traveling as you wish, well, I hope you're both happy."

Atem expelled a heavy breath when Yami's heavy mass collided with his chest and his strong arms crushed his back to his chest. The tight hug made it difficult to return the gesture, but Atem did not fight it.

"Thanks Atem," Yami said smiling.

"Go enjoy your party," Atem said shoving his little brother off him. Yami couldn't stop smiling.

"That was kind of you?" Seto said from behind him, gently shoving Noah and Mokuba back to the party.

Atem growled and turned to glare at the smirking man. "Don't read too into it. I still don't like you, no matter how happy you make, my brother."

"Understood," Seto nodded in agreement. "But you have my word I will do everything within my power to make sure he is always happy, should I ever fail, you have my permission to tear me to pieces, as it would be a far less painful fate than living without him."

"I'll hold you to that," Atem agreed with a twitch in his eye and a smirk on his face. "I mean it! Dragon power or not: one hair. Out of place. One scratch. And I will break every bone in your body." Atem promised, darkly.

Seto met the challenge with a smirk, intentionally waiting until Yami was done laughing and sipping his wine to answer. "I have no doubt you will. But as long as that doesn't include what happens in bed, you have my word, and I always keep my word."

Atem's eyes bulged out of his skull. Behind him Yami choked on his drink and stared at the man with a look of shock and betrayal. "What?" Atem asked, incredulously, not noticing Yami slowly backing away behind him. Of course, he knew Atem must've suspected something, but as long as it was just suspicion Atem would just ignore it or pretend to know nothing about it, actually being confronted by it…oh, he was going to kill Seto, Yami decided it right then and there.

Seto blinked, catching his lover tip-toeing into the crowd as silently as possible, away from his brother's expected wrath, the glare he gave him promised Seto nothing but unpleasantness if he continued. Seto gave him a smirk that accepted the challenge, if only to enjoy some teasing.

"He didn't tell you? I thought he told you two, everything?" Seto gasped in mocked surprise, knowing full well Yami had kept strictly silent about his more _intimate_ times at the castle.

For a painfully long second, nothing happened, as if Atem's mind had to reboot itself in order to process the information. Once it did, Atem exploded. "YAMIR AKNHANKANON MOUTO!"

"Shit!" Yami bolted from the room as fast as he could, leaving only a gold blur in his tracks. Atem stormed after him like a red bolt of lightning, and the ball room erupted with laughter.

"You're dead for this, Seto Kaiba!" Yami promised over his shoulder, barely dodging his brother's angry claws. "You hear me, DEAD!"

On the other side of the room, watching the spectacle, Alastair whispered in his wife's ear, "Are you going to show them your 'surprise' before or after they kill each other?"

Ida just laughed. "Just wait a minute," she said with her gaze heavenwards towards her latest creation. "It'll appear soon."

"I still can't believe you finished it in time," Alastair said wrapping an arm around her waist.

"I can't either," Ida admitted. "But Atem was a huge help, he's quite talented, that boy."

"And I assume it was easier to simply paint the glass rather than making each piece from scratch, also?"

"Says you! I'd say it would've been faster to use the glass, but the paint will look so much better in the light, speaking of that…" she turned her gaze upward again, toward the former dome shaped ceiling of the ball room that had been replaced by an enormous circle of glass.

The sun's evening rays suddenly blasted through the glass filling the room with a plethora of colors. Leon and Rebecca stopped their conversation seeing rainbows on their clothes. Atem stopped the second he'd finally grabbed Yami and looked up curiously. Seto and his brothers and the orphans looked up with curiosity beaming in their big eyes. Syrus and Jaden paused from their kissing; Chazz and Jesse stopped their argument over the last éclair, the couples of the staff stepped into the center of the ball room, to see the commotion.

Alastair looked up proudly at their reactions: the eyes of everyone regardless of age lit with childish wonder. In the confusion, Seto spirited Yami away from his brother and spun him around the two of them laughing. "What will you call this one, my love," Alastair asked his wife.

Ida laughed, eyes gazed on her latest creation: the painted glass revealed the image of the white castle in the far corner, her and her husband seated in a garden of roses overlooking the courtyard: Leon sat on a bench talking to Rebecca, Miho and the orphans played in the fields. Bakura and Ryou set up a picnic, Malik sat in Malik's lap, watching overhead from the guard tower. Playing with the orphans, Yugi, Mokuba and Leon chased Atem. In the bottom, Chazz soaked up the sun talking to Serenity, Jesse and Jim sat by a pond where Shirley curled up on a rock. Across the way, the couples of Joey and Mai and Téa and Duke danced together under shower of butterflies. In the heart of the image, dancing in a field of roses, Seto donned silvery-blue armor that bore the wings and talons of a dragon, while Yami looked resplendent in gold and red, the image of a rose embroidered in his coat. Their features seemed to shift with the light, their postures almost moving when the lights began to flicker: the staff appeared to laughing, the children and boys running, the couples dancing, the butterflies flapping their wings, and Seto and Yami spinning surrounded by a shower of blue and red roses.

"You mean it's not obvious?" Ida teased watching Yami and Seto dance, their expressions in reality identical to the ones in her glass painting overhead, "The Dragon's Rose!"

* * *

SURPRISE! How many of you were expecting Seto and Yami's wedding? XD well, sorry ladies and gents but like Yami said they're too young (technically) but they're lives have just begun and its obvious it WILL happen when the time comes but i was Adament about that-too many times in stories you see kids getting married young (if you KNOW and you're ready mentally i say go for it but do NOT make that decision lightly, it is a HUGE commitment and unless there's a good reason (like how my uncles got left before finding the love of their lives in my two current aunts) I don't believe in divorce, when you make those vows you stick to them!

And with that, after 3 years, 4 months, and 19 day, 412 pages, 35 chapters and 261,081 words this story comes to a close...and I have to say i am THRILLED! And ecstatic sense i thought it was 4 years I was working on this story rather than 3 and a half but still...phew! I honor time: my eternal frienemy, it NEVER lets me finish things at the time I want to but because of it these chapters and plots turn out SO much better as a result...this story would've sucked so much had i stuck to my original deadline XD

I gotta say though, as sad as I am to see this story am i am even happier that it is and not just cause it took FOREVER, but because its one of my oldests fics and my first multichapter story to be completed sense Let Me Be Your Wings so I am SO proud!

I'm also very pleased with this ending: it summed it up EXACTLY how i wanted it with no plotholes, and now you all know why I set the story in winter rather than Seto's birthday: cause i wanted to have it on Yami's brithday (and yes Ymai's birthday IS March 18th it was confirmed in a character book created by Takehashi as well as his age (18 but 23 when he died) and his blood type (0) as apposed to Yugi who's June 4th, blood type AB and 15-17 (by the end of the series).

I'm especially proud of the ending with Ida's painting: originally I was going to have her do an original painting and do it with Atem's help but i wanted it to be seen BEFORE Seto and Yami left and if any of you have seen glass paint but that stuff is GORGEOUS! Its much smoother than stain glass and I'm so proud of how that came out ^-^ i hope you can imagine it as I have ^-^

Also Ida's point about Hope and Love are what I firmly believe: its no coincidence that the week i wrote this chapter, my family and I saw the Hobbit, watched Return of the King and I read an article in Reader's digest while taking my brother to get his teeth pulled, about the book about a girl in Yemen who at age 9 was sold/married to a man 3 times her age and physically abused and raped by him and his mother, but promised her father he'd wait and ran away and with the help of her father's second wife, a female lawyer and a judge who was shocked by her case got her freedom, proceedings from her book got her family out of poverty. Point of it all (and why i love Tolkien) is that no matter HOW dark things get we CANNOT loose hope and we as long as everyone has ONE person to love or who loves them or even cares than ANYTHING is possible, Nuji the girl is still inspiring people in her country to try and change the laws concerning girls (i read an article about it years back in Nat Geo), Tolkien stressed it repeatedly in his books, and I see it every day in my life, when people tell them i inspire them to write, that just talking to me helps them through life and when my mom told me how seeing my parents take five rowdy kids to church every sunday inspires our neighbor and her family to start attending church again-fact being WE inspire others, all it takes is one person doing what they believe is right, doing the right thing or just living their lives and being good people to inspire others to do the same, and that is what I, with my stories want to so: I want to inspire you all to NEVER lose hope in yourselves and your loves ones, to do what you love and to use your gifts to inspire others to do the same and to change the world: only by doing that can we hope to end all the evil in the world, and there's a lot of it, but every day I'm comforted by the fact that despite how awful the stories, how do we know about them? Because the bad guys got caught, the victims (women, children, animals, etc) were rescued and got help, and because someone is speaking out to help others, even if its something small every action we do, just by living life and being our selves we change the world: that's what I hope you all take away from this story: its hope and love that inspired others, and its us who do it ^-^

Now...as many of you know I plan on rewriting this story as an original fic but of course with a twist: I want to make Seto the girl in this story and keep am the boy (if my brothers have taught me anything its that boys go through just as much emotional crap as girls but are less obvious about it, but i'm debating it...though seeing a guy get picked up by his stronger girlfriend all the time would be pretty funny XD) but other that I want your opinions: anything about this story you think needs a second look LET ME KNOW! granted i won't start doing it until LMBYW has been done and even then not until I get some of my older stories done, i still want Ideas ao i can work them out, so anything advice let me know! i love your opinions and feedback and critiques: BE HONEST! there is NOTHING you can say that will offend me! I got over my aversion to criticism in high school and now I'm in grad school, so BE BRUTAL, but BE HONEST!

Also THANK YOU TO ALL MY FANS AND READERS! you all keep me going and convince me I WILL accomplish my dream of being a published writer but I don't want to be the next J.K Rowling, i want to be the next Diana Wynne Jones! A best seller but who's different style and forms of writing inspired kids and who tells the stories I WANNA tell, even if i neve rmake best sellers! And on that ntoe thank you all who participated in my poll! 99 VOTERS! MY GOD! The results of which will be posted oh my profile with a list of the fics I will be working on when FK, AIEW (and possibly OL) are done so thank you all!

ALSO I'm having an art contest on DA for my holiday fic The Perfect Gift! PLEASE participate!

Again thank you all so much! I can't believe this story is finally done :happy tears:


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